Sod farmer makes 'home turf' his year-round job
EVANS CITY — Tucked away along a road full of barns and silos is Reddi-Green Turf Farm, a family owned business that grows sod.
The sod, which is grass with its soil and roots still attached, is installed on golf courses, football fields and lawns.
"Instead of people living in mud, they put the sod down," said Stuart Thompson, 48, owner of the turf farm.
"It's a great product that sells itself," Thompson said. "I have no Web page. I have just one line in the yellow pages."
The 130-acre farm employs one full-time employee, two part-time employees and Thompson's wife, Lisa.
"A school teacher works 31 or 32 years and retires," Thompson said. "Not me. Not on this farm."
The fields are rotated each year to maintain healthy topsoil and continuous business. To maintain the sod, Thompson works 12 hours a day, at least five days a week, year-round.
"I need to be part mechanic, part businessman, and I guess part farmer," Thompson said.
The field is leveled before the seed is planted. Because the business has been in existence for many years, the topsoil is always fresh. It gains a quarter inch in thickness each year the business plants seeds, which is healthy for the soil and sod. He plants mostly Kentucky Bluegrass because it forms the best foundation for uprooting and reinstalling in a new location. Upon request, Thompson will grow other varieties of grass in one location to best suit the consumer's use.For about two years, the sod on the farm undergoes fertilization with frequent watering and mowing. It is harvested using specialized equipment, known as a sod harvester, which cuts the ground into 18 inch-by-3-foot sections.After the sod is cut, it has a 24-hour life span, which means it needs to be moved and installed at its new location immediately. Thompson sells his homegrown sod for 26 cents to 35 cents per square foot, depending on the size of the project.When the sod is cut and ready to be loaded, the customer picks it up with a truck and unloads it at its new location with a forklift. The homeowner or landscaper installs the sod, which can be planted at any time of year as long as the ground is not frozen.When the sod is replanted, it is important to water it well but not to over water it. Newly installed sod is usually functional within 30 days of planting, and with proper care, its root system is about two years more advanced than a seeded yard.Newly laid terrene can instantly increase a home's property value.The decision to seed a lawn or to install sod has pros and cons. For instance, high quality sod is relatively expensive compared to starting a new lawn by seed. But, it might be worth the price to avoid the frustration of trying to get a lawn to grow.
"If a homeowner seeds a yard, by the time it grows, it's too late to enjoy it," Thompson said.The deciding factor usually is the amount of time it takes to maintain the sod.Some large sod farms export internationally, although most sod is grown locally to avoid long transport and to avoid drying out the product.If it is grown internationally, the sod is washed clean of the soil down to the bare roots to make shipping lighter and cheaper.Thompson isn't concerned with international sales because he supplies sod in the region, including the Pittsburgh area and sometimes as far away as Erie and Morgantown, W.Va.His business prepared the sod for the grassy perimeter around Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.In 1961, Theodore Thompson, Stuart Thompson's father, bought the farmland with the intention of growing sod. It took a handful of workers to harvest the sod. They hand-cut sections of sod and picked each piece up by hand.But now the sod harvester makes the job a one-man operation. It cuts sod into perfect sections and has the capability to steer itself."In the 1960s, when the business opened, sod was not an item," Thompson said. "What used to be a very seasonal business is year-round. We'll cut in the snow as long as it's not too deep."Stuart Thompson worked on the farm while he was in high school, and he took over the farm in 1992 after his father retired. He bought more surrounding land to farm, which is on both sides of Route 68.The popularity of sod could provide Thompson with the opportunity to expand his business, but he has not done that because it would take away from the time he spends with his three sons, who are all under the age of 14, he said.Thompson hopes they will continue the business, but he will not push them into it.The only other sod farmer in Western Pennsylvania is Thompson's neighbor, Norb Garbisch. He owns VicNor farms, a family owned business that farms more than 850 acres in Butler and in Canfield, Ohio.
