One, two, three and the count goes on. Here, nobody can pick just one strawberry. And here, nobody has to get a sore back bending over when plucking the berries.
"It tastes like a sweet strawberry," said a young strawberry expert named Acqualany.
On one acre in Hillsborough County, the signs out front drop a hint of what you'll find inside the Farm of the Future.
"We have about 30,000 strawberry plants,” proudly states John Lawson, the co-owner of Hydro Harvest Farms.
In Ruskin, the Hydro Harvest Farm is home to rows of strawberries growing in towers using the hydroponic method. That means plants don’t grow in dirt. In fact, they don’t even grow in the ground. Instead, they grow in pots, one stacked on top of each other.
"If it's red and has a teensy bit of white like this one here, then it means it's ready,” Acqualany explained. “But, you don't eat the top, because the white is very crunchy."
The towering pots are taller than Acqualany. Stacking pots on top of each other in a tower-like formation saves water and allows the pots to be spun in a circle.
"This is what we call crop rotation,” John joked, offering one of his trademark one-liners with a smile.
By watering for only eight minutes a day, the vertical way of growing uses 80 percent less water compared to the traditional farm. Water goes in the top and filters through each pot to before dropping out the bottom or in a final growing onions.
"You can take these home,” said co-owner Terrie Lawson. “It takes about a half hour to set up."
Besides onions, strawberries and peppers, you'll find several varieties of fresh lettuce. And a few chickens. Come Easter weekend, there will be a scavenger hunt for the kids.
"A wonderful state to live in if you're going to garden,” Terrie concluded.