How Crichlow turned retirement into growth

In keeping with the adage, “you’re never too old to learn,” former journalism and business communication professor Mervyn Crichlow is a testament to the enduring value of learning at every stage of life.

After 53 years in journalism and business communications, he explored several options, three of which he pursued: writing his autobiography, learning to play a musical instrument after acquiring an acoustic bass and learning to read and play music, and cultivating vegetables at his Vistabella, San Fernando, home.

He turned the latter into a lucrative business and supplies the nation’s supermarkets for a healthier lifestyle.

Crichlow said he enrolled in a hydroponics course at the University of the West Indies and the Ministry of Agriculture, through which he transformed his backyard into a hydroponic system producing a variety of vegetables, initially mustard greens, Swiss chard and kale.

In the aftermath of COVID and the onerous demands of production, Crichlow became certified and is registered with the San Fernando City Corporation; he now supplies hydroponic kale to a supermarket chain in south Trinidad.

Considering the healthier option, Crichlow still wants what is best for society. He said, over the years and with training and experience, he learned that kale is more than a healthy leafy green cruciferous vegetable with an impressive list of nutrients belonging to the cabbage family.

He said, “Kale is in great demand as a staple in health-conscious diets. It is a versatile food that can be prepared and eaten in several ways, raw or cooked.

The literature tells us Kale is rich in antioxidants, a nutrient-dense superfood packed with vitamins and minerals. It supplies potassium and magnesium and provides high amounts of calcium and vitamin K to protect bone density. Additionally, Kale grows faster and cleaner in hydroponic systems. There are some things about Kale that may surprise you.

The Alternative Daily publication states, Kale is a great source of calcium, low in calories, high in nutrition, and delicious when chopped up into a salad, blended up into a smoothie, squeezed into a tasty juice, or added into a cocktail drink.”

Crichlow began supplying a vegetable agent who, in turn, supplied food service suppliers across the nation. And for the past three years, he has been supplying hydroponic curly kale to friends and a supermarket chain in south Trinidad.

Crichlow said he is proud of his accomplishments in hydroponics, which began as a hobby and turned into a small business. He said the garden allows him to get out of bed early in the morning to do regularly scheduled checks of the pH levels to ensure nutrients are not too acidic or alkaline and that the right amount of fertiliser is added to the water.

He jokingly noted, “Journalists notice small details, and from time to time I notice aphids (insects that weaken and stunt growth), birds, and an iguana that regularly chomps on my Kale.”

He said his retirement project after years at a desk job, hydroponics and backyard gardening, is the best way he knows to grow an amazing variety of healthy vegetables and seasonings. He also at one time cultivated both Curly, Red Russian, and Dino Tuscan Kale, but in Trinidad he noticed the demand for the Curly variety.

Noting that it was not always an easy journey, but after overcoming trials and errors, it is a better way to relieve stress and avoid the produce sections in some supermarkets for fresh, wholesome food.