MIKE MARSHALL

The Huntsville Times via Associated Press

GURLEY, Ala. (AP) -- Most mornings, Jimmy Sparks arrives at his farm about 5:30, makes himself a cup of coffee and watches the sun rise over the fields and mountains.

On his one 1 1/2-acre farm between Hampton Cove and New Hope, about 15 miles from downtown Huntsville, Sparks tends to 42,500 plants, all vegetables and fruits.

His farm is known as the J. Sparks Farm.

"It's a different kind of farming," he said. "We grow vertically, straight up."

It's a hydroponic farm. Sparks is aware of only two other such farms in Alabama -- one in the Shoals area and the other in central Alabama.

Sparks grows strawberries, beans, peas, spinach, three types of lettuce, three types of peppers and 11 types of tomatoes. There's also squash, butternut squash, zucchini and fresh herbs. Recently, he ran out of silver queen corn.

Tomatoes and strawberries are his biggest sellers.

"If all this were in the ground," he said, "it would be over 14 to 17 acres."

Hydroponic farming is a way of growing plants using mineral nutrients without soil.

Sparks grows his plants in vertical towers that hold 20 plants apiece. The plants are grown in a mixture of vermiculite and perlite, both minerals that expand greatly when heated.

The fertilizer is injected into water that's sprayed onto the plants.

"We're probably the most earth-friendly farm in the state because of the amount we grow and the least amount of water we use," Sparks said. "We go through 4,000 gallons a day. If it were in the ground, it would take 75,000 gallons a day. It all goes straight to the root -- no waste."

Sparks uses only organic spray. He likens the watering to feeding a baby. "You've got to feed it five times a day," he said.

With the recent high temperatures, the plants have been thriving -- especially compared with plants in other gardens, Sparks said.

Three times a day, Sparks sprays a quart of water on each tower.

Approaching the towers with beans, Sparks said, "You can't find gardens like this in the ground. They'll burn up."

Sparks' farm opens in early June and closes in the late fall, usually November.

"We go till Mother Nature tells us we can't," Sparks said. "Twenty-seven degrees and we shut down."

For years, Sparks was known as the owner of The Market Place, a popular eatery on Whitesburg Drive. In 2005, after 25 years, Sparks sold his business and began farming.

"I've always had gardens," he said. "I've been blessed to do this. It's a lifelong dream of mine. It's very rewarding, a lot of satisfaction."

Some mornings, he arrives as early as 4. Most mornings, he's at the farm by 5:30 and has his coffee at 6 as he sees the sun rising over Keel Mountain.

"It's not work to me," he said. "You get tired, but it's a good tired."

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Information from: The Huntsville Times, http://www.al.com/huntsville

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.