Standing among rows and rows of leafy greens is Larry Sher's idea of heaven.
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Since taking a punt and buying a lettuce farm in Millingandi around five years ago, Larry and wife Karen's business, Millingandi Greens, has gone from strength to strength.
Now Mr Sher is encouraging others to give fruit and vegetable growing a crack .
Although most of NSW is in drought, as far as produce is concerned Mr Sher believes the Far South Coast could be the diamond among the rough.
"My dream is to see more commercial growers coming out of the area. There's so much land and there's definitely the market for it," he said, explaining he's had buyers interested in sourcing more produce from the region.
"I've had buyers say they were happy to put money into the community and were willing to support any farmer with a product with regular supply. But they have struggled to find the commercial quality and constant supply they are after."
Being a glazier by trade Mr Sher admitted growing greens has been a winding path of learning curves, persistence and, at times, a case of not what you know but who you know, especially when it comes to hydroponics.
"When we first started this whole place was full of bugs - you'd pull a lettuce out of a hole and guaranteed it'd be covered in slugs or some other kind of bug. The wastage was huge.
"You wouldn't believe it but we had a compost pile about eight-foot high full of bugs and rotting leaves," he said.
It's hard to believe now, casting eyes over his healthy looking crop of salad mixes, which has also expanded to include Asian greens and a variety of herbs.
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Discovering the business of hydroponics can be quite tricky and not being shy to ask questions meant he soon had three experts on call - an agronomist, seedling farmer, and a hydroponics pioneer.
"We were at war every day and rather than fall flat on my face, I tried to learn off other people and it paid off," Mr Sher said.
"Now we have zero wastage and everything you see here is sold."
With summer just around the corner Mr Sher said he's expecting business to amp up even more, leaving no time for holidays.
"You might think it's only salad, but even when we have a couple of days off the phone keeps ringing.
"It's the local chefs, they're diehards for it, they love it. I reckon they'd buy even more local food if they could get it."
