SCHERTZ — When Emile and Shirley Olivier set out to grow lettuce in South Texas, their friends had a few doubts.

"They thought we were crazy," says Emile, with a laugh, though he admits the summers can be hard.

But the Oliviers persevered, and Bluebonnet Hydroponic Produce Inc., is growing as briskly as the well-nurtured plants it sells.

Unlike farmers who till the soil and anxiously watch the weather reports, the Oliviers are growing a varied crop of lettuces — as well as herbs, watercress, arugula and a rainbow of dense, flavorful microgreens — using hydroponic greenhouses. In other words, their plants don't go into the ground, but rather into a series of pipes that circulate nutrient-rich water to the plant roots.

No pesticides are used, and the controlled environment keeps out more than just inclement weather — it keeps out dust, animals, birds and insects as well.

Like many entrepreneurs who encountered the word "crazy" at first, the Oliviers have been successful. Their one greenhouse grew to three, and 11 more are under construction on the two-and-a-half acre plot near Schertz. The ultimate number, says Emile, is projected to be 18.

A huge seller right now is their live basil. It goes to H-E-B, Wal-Mart, Kroger and Whole Foods, sold in a clear plastic bag with roots attached to the water-soaked growing medium.

"It's as fresh as it can be," says Emile.

"They're pampered babies, is what they are," says his friendly wife, Shirley.

The two would-be retirees, from Canada, built the first greenhouse with their own four hands after buying the property in 2000.

Avid gardeners, the Oliviers once spent several years in Mexico growing tomatoes, after leaving their business of selling dairy cows in Canada. However, they found too much competition growing tomatoes in Mexico, which motivated their move to Texas.

Now, they have quite a lot more help as Bluebonnet has grown.

Their daughter, Catherine Anderson, is the manager, while her husband, David Anderson, is doing the marketing. A crew of 16 full- and part-time workers staff the greenhouses and deliver the produce.

"It's absolutely a seven-day-a-week-job," says Catherine, who started working at Bluebonnet three-and-a-half years ago. "But we've had a really wonderful reception."

One of Catherine's ideas was to start growing watercress. "My parents said, 'Oh, that'll never go over.' But, now it's one of our best sellers," says Catherine. The company is also selling sprouts to a Dallas purveyor.

And area chefs can't get enough of the microgreens, fresh arugula and other specialty greens Bluebonnet offers.

The operation is open to visitors and school classes, including culinary school students. These aspiring chefs often come by to view the tanks, the long white PVC pipes that hold the plants, and the growing beds for the microgreens.

Inside the greenhouse, the smell is surprisingly earthy and not surprisingly damp. At one end of a 120-by-30-foot greenhouse are water walls. These damp, vertical panels cool air that is drawn through the greenhouses by huge fans at the other end.

"If you go down to Mexico, they call these swamp coolers," says Emile.

Lettuces such as Bibb and mini-Bibb, oakleaf, saladbowl, tango and red butterhead poke up in long, green rows, their roots growing in inert foam (meaning the foam has no nutrients) that soaks up the water. The water carries the carefully monitored mix of nutrients, salts, calcium and nitrogen.

"The same things you put in the earth we put in the water," he says.

With hydroponics, says Emile, you can grow the same amount of produce in a quarter of the space it would take to plant a conventional crop in the ground.

There is also a pump house where the water is recirculated, and nursery areas for tiny seedlings. The pipes are routinely cleaned with a solution of water and bleach.

The microgreen area offers a beautiful glimpse of these tiny seedlings in vibrant greens, from soft sage to intense reds. Popcorn greens — actual popcorn that has germinated and put up its first tall leaves, are the tallest. Chefs like to use these as garnishes to add height to dishes.

Opal basil, red cabbage, shiso, pea shoots, chervil, chives, fennel, mint, purple radish and bulls blood will never make it far past infancy, but are quite in demand. Though not yet sold at supermarkets, chefs add them to salads for garnish and color, or for their intense flavor.

"I want you to taste the celery," says Shirley, during our tour. "It's so intense, it's like the celery flavor is tripled in this baby size."

"It's very nutritious, but it is mostly used in decoration," she adds.

As the business grows, the older couple says they plan to back off some and maybe, actually, retire. "But we're ambassadors for the business," says Emile, speaking of the visits he and Shirley make to would-be buyers.

"It's hard work," says Catherine. "We do an honest day's work, then go home and sleep well. And you really can't beat that."