Located at 60 Madison St. in Worcester, Green Zone Hydroponics is a one-stop shop for all of your growing and gardening needs.

Manager Ken Helinski further describes the 7,000-square-foot shop as one of the biggest in Central Massachusetts.

“We offer services for year-round indoor and outdoor growing. From soil-based containers or hydroponics to nutrients and lighting, we have everything you would need,” he said. The store opened in late July, and since then, it’s been a hit.

Helinski knows a thing or two about this industry, growing up on a tree farm in upstate New York. “I’ve been growing indoors for the past 30 years, and in 2012, my wife and I opened First Leaves Family Farm in Whitinsville, which specializes in microgreen farming,” he said. He has also managed a few hydroponics stores in New England in the past.

According to Helinski, hydroponics is the “trend of the future. A lot of facilities are opening indoor facilities. Land is becoming depleted, and indoor growing is easier to control,” he said

Helinski pointed out that places like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s are already doing this, growing safer food to eat and maintain health.

“We are very knowledgeable about the products and items we sell, but also about growing and gardening in general,” Helinski said. “We walk people through the process of what they’re looking to do, whether it’s a growing room setup or harvest.”

Beyond providing expert instruction for customers on setup and management of the products, Helinski and his team aim to educate their customers so that they can grow and garden correctly to ensure what they are growing is beneficial for their well-being.

“Once you understand how plants grow, your body will do the same and understand it, too,” he said.

Another large part of Green Zone’s business is its focus on cannabis. “There is a cannabis aspect to the market, and we cater to those who have medical problems and need cannabis to maintain their health,” Helinski said. “[With this,] people won’t need to go to the black market to get what they need. It is safe for them to use medically, and the prices are a fraction of what you would find at a dispensary, and it’s a better product.”

Green Zone also plans on providing classes for customers to get an even more hands-on approach to growing and gardening. “We will have classes that focus on how to take cuttings from plants and root them, cloning of plants and nutrients classes,” Helinski said.

In the future, Helinski hopes to get into schools and teach students about growing, gardening and health as it pertains to what they put in their bodies.

Helinski said he’s excited to have Green Zone open and becoming part of the community. “It is a store for the urban market and for those people who want to garden in their backyards. [It feels] nice to be able to provide this for the community and give them what they need and serve as a health store for them on a new level.”

For more information on Green Zone Hydroponics, visit green-zone-hydroponics-supplies.business.site.

Rachel SHUSTER