Friðheimar: Horticulture in a Nordic Paradise

Tomato Heaven in Reykholt, Iceland

When we visited Iceland in the summer of 2024 with a group of 11 friends, I had one non-negotiable on my list: Friðheimar. Some people chase waterfalls, glaciers, or volcanoes (and we did all that and LOVED IT), but me? I had tomatoes on my mind.

I was a tomato girl long before Tomato Girl Summer was trending. I love everything about them, especially fresh garden tomatoes, which Rylee and I happily eat like apples. Store-bought tomatoes, on the other hand… let’s just say they don’t count. As Ina Garten would say, “store-bought is fine,” but when it comes to tomatoes, store-bought is most definitely not fine. They’ve given this perfect fruit a bad reputation.

That’s why Friðheimar fascinated me. Here, in the middle of Iceland, they grow tomatoes all year long under artificial lighting inside their greenhouses, despite the country’s long, dark winters. Not only that, they welcome visitors right into their world of glass and green. You can tour the greenhouses, learn how it all works, and then sit down for a meal surrounded by rows upon rows of thriving tomato plants.

Unfortunately, with a group of 11, reservations for dining were impossible (and I highly recommend booking well in advance if you ever go). Even so, we didn’t miss out entirely. We sampled a whole range of tomato-based treats from bright, flavorful cocktails to tomato ice cream and even tomato cheesecake. It was quirky, refreshing, and so uniquely Icelandic.

One of the most fascinating things about Friðheimar is how high-tech their operation is. Each greenhouse has a controller that regulates heat, humidity, carbon dioxide, and lighting. A rooftop weather station keeps track of wind, temperature, and sunlight, feeding information into a computer system that can adjust conditions on its own. When the sun breaks through the clouds, the lights click off; when it dips again, the lights hum back on. The system is connected to the internet, so the family can monitor and make changes no matter where they are in the world.

But the real heroes of Friðheimar are the bees. About 1,200 of them work daily in the greenhouses, pollinating thousands of tomato flowers. Each bee can handle around 2,000 flowers in a single day, which is no small feat when you’re talking about 25,000 plants. Without them, the incredible yields wouldn’t be possible.

Friðheimar is family-run, managed by a husband-and-wife team with their children alongside them. That authenticity is part of what makes it so special. They’ve built something that’s both rooted in tradition and pushing toward the future.

We wrapped up our visit with some of us lingering longer than we probably should have at their wine bar, sipping, laughing, and soaking up the experience. It was a highlight of our trip, and one I’ll never forget.

If you ever find yourself in Iceland and you love gardening, sustainability, or simply the taste of a perfectly ripe tomato, Friðheimar is worth the stop. I’d go back in a heartbeat — this time with a reservation in hand.