Technology for growing greens in a greenhouse all year round. Growing greens as a business. How to make money growing greens? Features of growing parsley in winter greenhouses

Preface

Growing greens in a greenhouse on frosty days, when vitamin deficiency constantly reminds you of itself with dry skin, brittle hair, and reluctance to get up early, can be a real salvation. Greenhouse aromatic greens are in no way inferior in their benefits and taste to those grown in open ground, but they can be collected much more often!

Growing greens in a greenhouse: which plants to choose?

Many gardeners are interested in the question, what plants can be planted in a greenhouse? The most profitable option may be to grow greens in a greenhouse, since these garden crops are not too demanding and tolerate various weather conditions well. In addition, greens planted in a greenhouse in winter produce several harvests per year, regardless of the month of planting. Well, what exactly can be grown in a greenhouse depends personally on your preferences and desires.

As practice shows, summer residents most often plant dill, parsley and celery in their greenhouses in winter, the cultivation of which we will tell you about in this article. But there are many other useful and tasty plants that survive winter well and produce good harvests. For example, there are several varieties of lettuce, basil, mint, sorrel, nettle and other types of greens.

How to grow greens like dill in a greenhouse?

In order for dill to grow and develop in constant humidity, it must be sprayed frequently. The temperature for its cultivation should not be lower than 15 degrees.

Therefore, it is very important that the greenhouse has special temperature sensors for air and soil. To water the plant, water at room temperature is used. It is very important to carefully ventilate the greenhouse where dill is grown, since it does not tolerate cold winds and drafts. With proper care, the plant produces its first harvest two months after planting.

Greenhouse parsley: care features

Growing parsley from seeds is a simpler procedure. The main thing here is to follow the following planting standards: per 1 sq.m of soil, take 2 kg of seeds, which are pre-conditioned in damp gauze for 5 days. It usually takes about 10 days for the seeds to fully germinate. Then you can harvest - 1.5 kg of parsley per 1 square meter of area.

How to harvest celery?

Celery not only tastes great, but it also contains a lot of vitamins and nutrients. But since this plant is difficult to store for a long time, it is recommended to grow it in greenhouses, which does not present any difficulties. To plant celery, the tops of a petiole plant with part of the root are cut off, resulting in many lateral buds.

Many gardeners, growing greens in greenhouses all year round, can afford to put up some of their produce for sale. A good harvest from home production is in considerable demand, so you can really make money on agricultural products. But in order for growing greens to be used as a business, you will have to familiarize yourself with all the intricacies of this process.

How to optimize costs?

Growing greens in a greenhouse for sale can only be profitable if you correctly select and build suitable greenhouses. To minimize the cost of heating and maintaining buildings, you should give preference to small polycarbonate greenhouses. What points should be taken into account?

Since the cultivation of greenery will take place not only in winter, but all year round, it is worth erecting the building on a fairly solid foundation (preferably brick);
The frame of the greenhouse should be made of profiled pipe, and the casing should be made of polycarbonate;
Heaters usually use infrared heating systems or radiators, which emit heat by circulating hot water through them;
The technology for growing greens, in particular onions, involves rapid forcing of crops. Therefore, it is impossible to do without good lighting in the construction.

Examples of the external and internal structure of suitable greenhouses are shown in the photo.

The cost of an equipped greenhouse is largely determined by its dimensions and equipment. When drawing up a business plan, you will have to include at least 100 thousand rubles in equipment costs. Of course, if you decide to grow greens on a huge scale, then a million may not be enough.

What can you grow?

Growing greens in a greenhouse as a business is a very delicate matter. First of all, you need to decide on the popular types of greens that are in greatest demand among consumers in winter. The most popular crops include:

green onions;
arugula and parsley;
basil and dill.

In order for the process of growing food as a business to go with a bang, it is advisable to think about planting several types of crops at once. Thus, you will be able to satisfy the needs of a wide audience of consumers, which will certainly bring good results.

Features of growing onions

A polycarbonate greenhouse is an ideal place to grow beautiful onions. This culture loves a lot of natural light, so it will not refuse scattered, but still natural sunlight. In order to seamlessly “produce” feather onions all year round, it is advisable to pay attention to the following nuances:

It is best to give preference to plant varieties such as “Spassky” and “Troitsky”. They are less heat-loving and easy to care for;
Growing greens in a greenhouse in winter begins with the introduction of manure and mineral additives into the soil, which will stimulate the development of crops;
To grow greens very quickly, you need to observe a special temperature regime - from 18 to 23 degrees. With such a microclimate, the crop can be harvested literally every 25-30 days;
Early greens in the greenhouse are watered almost daily, but about a week before being sent to the counter, the plants begin to be watered once every 3 days.

If you want to write a successful business plan and really make a lot of money from the process of growing cultivated plants, by all means include spring onions in your product range.

How to grow basil?

A polycarbonate greenhouse, in comparison with other types of buildings, is more airtight and therefore allows you to grow almost all heat-loving plant crops. Basil is also in great demand in winter. It is worth noting that the agricultural technology of this crop is quite complex. But from the point of view of profitability of production, basil occupies almost a leading position.

How to properly grow greens in greenhouses?

For planting basil, you need soddy soil with a fairly light structure;
To fertilize the soil, you need to take at least 4 kg of manure to cultivate 1 m2 of land;
From time to time the plant needs to be fed with a urea solution;
The cultivation of small sprouts of basil is carried out only by the seedling method due to the fragility of greenery seedlings;
Picked seedlings are transplanted into a greenhouse approximately 40 days after germination;
Water the plants not daily, but only once a week;
To ensure that early greens have a marketable appearance, periodically ventilate the room.

How to grow dill?

Greenhouses for growing herbs all year round are ideal for the “production” of dill. As a business, growing this particular plant will not bring much profit, but to diversify the assortment, dill can also be cultivated. How to plant it?

For the greens to ripen, you will have to wait about 50-60 days. But for such a painful wait you will reap a good harvest - about 1.5-2 kg from 1 m2 of bed;
To improve the taste of dill, you should add mineral and potassium fertilizers to the soil before planting;
To soften the shoots of the plant, maintain the temperature in the greenhouse at least 17 degrees;
Early greens need a lot of light, so it is advisable to place fluorescent lamps above the beds;
It is better to grow crops from seeds rather than root crops. This will significantly increase your yield, so you can offer more products for sale.

The process of planting cultivated plants in greenhouses is demonstrated in more detail in the video. The video materials clearly demonstrate methods for stimulating rapid crop growth and the most optimal lighting options.

Conclusion

Growing greens in winter can easily develop from a hobby into a business. With proper organization of work and the right choice of crops for cultivation, you can get maximum profit from the usual process of “production” of onions, parsley, basil and other herbs.

With double glazing on a stainless steel frame. They create the effect of a thermos, maintaining an optimal temperature from 15 to 28ºC.

Glass is too fragile and expensive, and plastic film does not provide stable temperatures in the room. Industrial greenhouses have impressive sizes (from 0.5 hectares and above). For beginning farmers it is worth building a structure of 100-120 square meters. m, in the future, greenhouse farming can be expanded.

The shape of greenhouses for greenery can be different. In cold regions, pitched structures are most popular, providing good insolation and preventing snow from accumulating on the roof. It is also possible to use traditional ones. For growing in soil low buildings are suitable, rack greenhouses have more impressive dimensions.

Green business: advantages and disadvantages

Having decided to grow greens on an industrial scale, It is important to know the pros and cons in advance similar enterprise.

Among the advantages of this business:

the ability to harvest several harvests per year;
greenhouses are suitable for any green crops, from common to exotic;
high demand for fresh herbs;
in winter and early spring, the margin increases significantly and profitability increases;
Possible cultivation by hydroponic, aeroponic or soil methods;
business suits even people without much experience in agriculture;
greenhouses minimize the risk of low yields.

Despite the obvious advantages, the business also has some disadvantages:

high construction costs and;
in the summer there is high competition from homestead owners;
perishable product, which increases the percentage of defects;
a large amount of fertilizer is required to increase the nutritional value of the soil;
To increase income, it is necessary to operate with large volumes of products and constantly increase them.

What should you grow in greenhouses?

Experienced farmers believe that growing greens is the most promising option greenhouse business. Green crops grow quickly, their taste remains unchanged regardless of the growing method.

Among the crops in particular demand are:

. Hybrid varieties that do not form bulbs are suitable for growing for greens. A variety of varieties are planted in greenhouses: batun, slime, chives. Plants are not too demanding on lighting, but need a large amount of complex mineral and organic fertilizers. Green onions can be grown hydroponic or aeroponic.
. Very productive, grows quickly and requires frequent cutting. Growing requires good humidity and lighting.
Parsley. For cultivation in greenhouses, ordinary leaf and curly parsley is used, which is in great demand in stores. Very demanding on soil nutrition, watering and lighting. At lower temperatures, growth stops.
. Any variety is suitable for cultivation, but the fast-growing Iceberg, Oakleaf, and Frize varieties are especially popular. Lettuce grows well in hydroponics and requires plenty of fertilizer and water.

A very promising direction is growing greens in miniature plastic pots. These containers are placed in cassettes and can significantly extend the life of greens on store shelves.

Dill, lettuce and parsley in pots attract attention and are readily sold out.

Cost price this method of cultivation is almost equal to traditional, and the markups for this type of product are significantly higher. In pots you can grow not only the usual greens, but also a variety of herbs: mint, lemon balm, anise, rosemary, thyme.

Greenhouse equipment

Industrial greenhouses are most often use hydroponic technologies. They can significantly save space and reduce the cost of finished products. Plants are grown in liquid nutrient solutions, without the use of soil.

Hydroponic technologies significantly accelerates the growth of greenery, the plants have a beautiful appearance. Unlike vegetables, herbs grown hydroponically do not develop a watery taste.

Another option - soil cultivation in tiers. Racks with a nutrient substrate are installed along the walls of the greenhouses, into which seeds are sown. Rack growing makes it possible to save on heating, increasing the number of plants per 1 sq. m greenhouse.

Greenhouse equipped with a ventilation system and heating. Industrial greenhouses are heated using pipes laid underground. To reduce the cost of electric heating, innovative methods are actively used: biofuels, solar panels, the use of infrared cables. It is best to heat the structure in a combined way, using several methods at once.

An industrial greenhouse designed for soil cultivation must be equipped with a drip irrigation system. Lighting is also very important. Lamps under the ceiling are not enough; local lighting is needed for each tier of the rack.

To organize a continuous process, batch sowing is recommended. This allows you to harvest without overstocking. After harvest soil is mixed with fertilizers, carefully loosened, watered and sown with a new batch of seeds.

Expenses, income and profitability: calculation rules

When calculating profitability it is important to take into account all costs, both one-time and monthly. These include:

land lease;
registration of a legal entity;
construction and equipment of greenhouses;
purchase of planting material and fertilizers;
expenses for electricity and water;
payment of taxes;
salary of hired personnel;
packaging and labeling;
transportation costs for delivery of finished products.

Some expense items may be excluded from the estimate. For example, land owners will not be spent on rent, but small greenhouses do not need hired helpers which excludes salary costs. Branded packaging is needed by large farms that have registered a trademark and sell through retail chains.

According to professional estimates, the cost of one polycarbonate greenhouse of 100,000 sq. m start from 100,000 rubles. 10,000 rubles will have to spend on seed, at least 15,000 rubles will be required for heating.

Profit depends on the chosen crop and method of implementation. The most profitable option is to sell through retail stores or public catering chains. In the summer, a kilogram of greens can cost from 80,000 rubles; in winter, the price rises to 150,000 rubles. This growth is associated with a decrease in supply and a lack of competition from private farms.

The profitability of the greens growing business is not very high. According to various estimates, it ranges from 15 to 25%. An industrial greenhouse will pay for itself in 2-3 years, payback of a farm greenhouse medium size - 1.5-2 years. Profitability is significantly higher in regions with warm climates.

In the northern regions, the cost of greenhouse greens increases significantly, reducing profits. Well-established logistics, an increase in the sales network and a thoughtful approach to heating greenhouses will help reduce costs.

Growing greens in a greenhouse as a business - simple but costly process. A large initial investment is required to achieve success. Even before the construction of greenhouses it is worth considering a clear marketing scheme and calculate all future costs. To begin with, it is worth building one small greenhouse as a training option. If the process goes well, you will be able to significantly expand your farm.

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Today we will talk about a business that is not new in itself. Despite this, its profitability is only growing from year to year. We've probably seen grandmothers selling greens at the market more than once. As soon as spring begins to approach, they rush to plant herbs that are useful and in demand in cooking on their site in order to be the first to offer their goods to the buyer. The whole point of the house growing business is to sell the product as soon as possible.. During this period, the entrepreneur's income will be the highest. Although, the sale of herbs is not at all limited to the spring months. Demand for this product exists throughout the year.

Where is the best place to set up a garden for growing herbs for sale?
Technology for growing greens for sale
How much can you earn?
Step-by-step plan for starting a business
How much money do you need to start a business?
How to choose equipment
What OKVED code must be specified for growing greens for sale?
What documents are needed to open
Which tax system to choose for growing greens for sale
Do I need permission to open?

The most popular for home businesses and in demand among consumers are usually onions, parsley and dill. Recently, our compatriots are increasingly trying the cuisines of other countries of the world. If necessary and stable demand, you can expand the assortment of your crop with leaf lettuces and head crops that have a short growing season. Housewives often buy basil for dishes with meat, and celery is indispensable during winter preparations.

Where is the best place to set up a garden for growing herbs for sale?

To grow greens for sale at home, you need to decide where they will grow. There may be several options:

First, it's a greenhouse. However, not everyone has it on their plot. To start such a business at home, you will need to build it. Construction of a heated greenhouse is a process that requires capital investment. Today there are many ready-made factory structures that can be installed quickly enough at home and do not require construction knowledge. The cheaper way is to build a site with closed ground from old double-glazed windows. Investments are significantly reduced, but the entrepreneur will need work and considerable ingenuity to make the premises suitable for growing early vegetables.
Secondly, it is fashionable to adapt any utility room in which it is possible to maintain a constant temperature of at least +20 degrees for growing early greenery at home. Under such conditions, plants are placed in several tiers on special shelves. Early seedlings always need additional lighting, so you need to think about ways to place lamps so that each tray of greens is illuminated evenly.

Technology for growing greens for sale

The next stage in preparing our plantation is soil preparation. It can be bought in special stores. However, if the businessman’s goal is still to earn money, then it is cheaper to prepare it yourself. For growing greenery at home or in a greenhouse, a substrate of ordinary forest soil is suitable. You don’t need to collect all of it, but select the one that is under the layer of leaves. It contains all the useful substances that our plants will need. Already at home, the soil is reseeded and loaded into trays installed at home or in a greenhouse. They can be wooden or plastic. The main thing is that their depth is at least 8-10 cm.

The process of planting seeds itself is not complicated. It is carried out in the same way as in open ground, following the recommendations indicated on the seed manual. But you shouldn’t plant it all at once. To obtain a stable crop over a long period of time, only 10% of the total available area is sown at first. After a few days, the seeds are planted on the same number of pallets. This scheme works optimally when you have at least 15 sq.m. areas ready for sowing. So growing fresh herbs at home will bring the expected income.

After the plants grow, you need to harvest on time. Particular attention is paid to onions. If you overexpose it, the feather begins to turn yellow and the onion loses its presentation. Parsley and dill are less whimsical, although their young leaves radiate more fresh aroma. Overexposed stems of greens become rough and tough. Greens are usually packaged immediately after cutting. The less mechanical movements it will be subjected to, the better its presentation will be preserved.

How much can you earn?

Business on fresh greens at home is not only the ability to grow crops at home. You still need to be able to sell it. If an entrepreneur does his business on his own, he will not have time to stand in the market. It is better to find a wholesale buyer who will pick up the goods in batches at an affordable price. If such a home business has a family format and the owner has assistants, then implementation will be easier. You can set up a sale through your outlet.

The peculiarity of the business is its seasonality. This is not to say that greens are not in demand in the summer, it’s just that it’s most profitable to sell them in winter and early spring. By the way, during these months a kilogram of herbs usually costs more than meat or fish. So throughout the year, 1 kg of dill costs an average of 90 rubles per kilogram. With the onset of cold weather, the price for it increases by 1.5-2 times. This amount of dill at home can be obtained from approximately 1 sq.m. area. The costs of seeds, electricity and fertilizers account for approximately 30% of the final price of greens. It is easy to calculate that for every kilogram of crop grown, the farmer will receive 60 rubles of net profit. In the winter season, this amount will be 90-120 rubles. If you only sow 2 acres of land with dill, then you can harvest 200 kg of fresh herbs from it. Other crops that can be grown for sale at home or in a greenhouse have approximately the same profitability.

Step by step plan to start a business

In order to set up your own business of growing greens for sale, you will need to conduct a market analysis in the region where you are opening it. After that, analyze your competitors, their products, etc. After this you need:

pass state registration;
rent or purchase land;
build greenhouses and purchase the necessary equipment and related materials;
find markets for the grown product, etc.

How much money do you need to start a business?

If a decision was made to grow greens with subsequent sale on a land plot whose area does not exceed 1,500 square meters, at least one million rubles will be required. Financial investments will concern the rental of land and the purchase of greenhouses, equipment and other expenses.

How to choose equipment

The main equipment for growing greens for sale is greenhouses. In addition, you will need to purchase heating equipment, auxiliary tools, etc.

What OKVED must be specified for growing greens for sale

Regardless of the legal form, during registration you will need to reflect the OKVED code according to which you will carry out business activities. For growing greens for sale, code 01.13 is indicated, which includes the cultivation of various vegetables and melons, root crops and truffles, mushrooms and tubers.

What documents are needed to open

Depending on the chosen legal form, the package of documents required for registration will also depend. You can undergo state registration as an individual entrepreneur or choose a legal form - peasant farm. In cases of establishing a large business - a limited liability company. The best option would be an individual entrepreneur, since it will be necessary to collect a minimum of documents, and the registration period does not exceed 5 days. For an LLC, a more impressive package of documents is provided.

What taxation system to choose for growing greens for sale

For farmers, the most favorable regime under which the tax will be paid is the unified agricultural tax. It provides for the payment of tax in the amount of 6% of the profits received.

Do I need permission to open?

As for special permits for opening a business for growing greens for sale, they are not required, nor is there a need to obtain additional licenses.

* The calculations use average data for Russia

50,000 ₽

Minimum investment

65%

Profitability

20 sq.m.

Required area

From 1 month

Payback period

Most people who choose the idea of starting their own “rural” business consider growing herbs for sale among the first options. Indeed, this idea seems, at first glance, simply ideal for a start. To implement it, according to the authors of numerous articles on the Internet, large start-up capital is not required. Planting material is quite inexpensive, the growing period for greenery is on average a month, and the yield is very high: up to four kilograms of greenery can be harvested from one square meter of area. The demand for such products is stable, and the profitability of such a business is over 65%. However, unfortunately, not all of these statements are confirmed in practice.

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Types and characteristics of green crops

Greens are healthy and tasty, contain a large amount of vitamins, can improve the taste of the first and second courses, and contribute to better absorption of food. Green crops are sufficiently resistant to low temperatures, so they can be grown outdoors from early spring to late autumn using early or winter crops. The most commonly grown plants are dill, green onions, lettuce, spinach, and parsley. This herb is used to prepare various dishes, and the technology for growing them is very simple.

Dill grown in greenhouses both as an independent crop and as a sealant. When grown on greenery, it is sown on meter-long beds in rows (8-10 cm between rows) or continuous sowing, planting seeds to a depth of 2-3 cm. The sowing density is 15-20 g of seeds per 10 square meters. meters. Dill is cut when it reaches a height of 10-12 cm. During the summer, depending on weather and climatic conditions, dill can be sown at least twice. It is noteworthy that of all green crops, dill is the most demanding in terms of lighting and temperature (it should not be lower than 15 ° C). In addition, it takes the longest to mature, but at the same time has the highest productivity.

For cultivation Luke For feathers, experts recommend using small onions with a diameter of up to 30 mm and weighing up to 30 g and large sets. The sowing scheme uses a row with row spacing of 45 cm or a strip of 20 plus 50 cm. When planting in the fall, the bulbs are planted to a depth of 4-5 cm, and in the spring - to a depth of 2-3 cm. The harvest can be harvested when the feathers reach a length of 20 -25 cm. There are technologies that allow you to grow green onions all year round. The best varieties for growing for sale are “Batun”, “Emerald Island”, “Parade”, “Karatalsky”, “Krasnodarsky G-35”, “Ispansky 313”, “Kaba”.

Salad sow in early spring and even before winter in an ordinary way. Different types of lettuce are suitable for greenhouse cultivation - head lettuce, asparagus lettuce, leaf lettuce and romaine. Greenhouse varieties of lettuce are most often grown because of their early maturity. However, cabbage also grows well, although it is more demanding in terms of lighting and seeding density. Leafy lettuce is sown at a distance of 15-20 cm between rows and 2-3 cm in a row, and cabbage lettuce is sown at a distance of 20-25 cm between rows and up to 10 cm in a row. Seeds are planted to a depth of 1-1.5 cm. The sowing density is 5 g of seeds per 10 square meters. meters of area. The harvest can be obtained 35-40 days after sowing. Lettuce requires regular care: it is necessary to regularly loosen the soil, destroy weeds and water the plants abundantly. In addition, it is necessary to thin out the plants in a timely manner, otherwise they will begin to bloom too early. Early deciduous varieties of lettuce include leafy varieties: “Maysky” and “Berlinsky Yellow”, and head varieties include “Large Green”, “Stubborn”, “Khrustalny”, “Stone Head”. For autumn sowing, varieties such as “Winter Yellow-Green” and “Romain” are used.

Spinach grown in the same way as lettuce. The only difference is in the sowing density: the distance between the rows should be 15-20 cm. The consumption is 40 g of seeds per 10 square meters. meters. The first harvest can be obtained in 30-35 days. Thus, in one area over the summer you can harvest two or more harvests. This crop tolerates the first frosts well, so it is often sown in the summer after lettuce, onions and other early crops. Then spinach can be grown until late autumn. The only disadvantage of this green crop (as well as lettuce) is the need for regular watering. When drought occurs, spinach loses its nutritional value and shoots out. The most common varieties of spinach include Summer Giant, Virofle and Victoria.

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Parsley grown both from seeds and by forcing them from root crops. Before sowing, parsley seeds are kept in wet gauze for five days at room temperature and another ten days after germination at a temperature of +1-2°C. This allows you to get the first shoots as soon as possible and increase productivity. The sowing rate for parsley is 20 g per 10 square meters. meter. It is much more difficult to grow parsley from root vegetables. To do this, the root crops are kept in sand at a temperature of +2°C, and then planted in moist soil at an angle of 45 degrees and to a depth of 15 cm (with a root crop weight of 60-70 g). First, furrows are cut in the soil at a distance of approximately 15 cm from each other, then they are filled with water. The distance between plantings should be 5-6 cm, and between rows - 10 cm. The main thing is not to cover the head and neck of the root crops with soil. The soil must be slightly compacted and watered intensively. The harvest can be obtained 30-45 days after planting the root crops, when the parsley leaves reach 20-25 cm in length. Moreover, with proper care (regular watering - preferably drip watering, ventilation, avoidance of sudden temperature changes, good lighting) you can collect up to 6 kg of greenery from 1 square meter. meters.

When growing greens for sale, experts advise giving preference to early-ripening and hardy varieties. If you plan to grow several types of green crops at once, then you must follow the sowing sequence. First of all, onion sets are sown, which are used for cutting. Before planting, the material must be prepared. It is recommended to soak the sets three days in advance, cutting off the upper part of the head. Then it is planted in soil that is well moistened with water (warm if the ground is not yet warmed up enough). Onions require the usual care: loosening the soil, fertilizing and regular watering. After the onions, dill and parsley are sown, the seeds of which are also pre-soaked. Two weeks after planting onions and dill, lettuce and spinach can be planted.

Growing greens in greenhouses

As experience shows, it is most profitable to engage in a greenhouse business in the southern regions of our country - in the Stavropol and Krasnodar territories, where the frosts are not so severe and the daylight hours are longer. Otherwise, high costs for gas and electricity in the northern regions will “eat up” all the profits from the sale of finished products. For a 20 sq. meters, heating costs in winter are about 75,000-80,000 rubles. In the middle zone, heating costs for such an area will average 250,000 rubles per year (if you meet the electricity quota). It often turns out to be more profitable to deliver finished goods from other regions than to grow greens yourself. The minimum profitability of a greenhouse business should be 20%. Ideally, you should strive for 30-35%, but they are difficult to achieve.

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It is more profitable to grow greens in a greenhouse at least four times than vegetables. However, keep in mind that ideally you need to organize stable sales of your products in the nearest locality in order to minimize transport costs.

The cheapest technology for greenhouse cultivation of green crops is hydroponics. In essence, it allows you to minimize physical labor, shorten the vegetative cycle of plants several times and, accordingly, increase productivity several times. When using hydroponic technology, plants are grown in artificial media without soil - not in boxes with soil, but in ordinary plastic cups or PVC pipes with holes made in them. They receive nutrients from a humid-air environment, which requires frequent or constant drip irrigation with a working solution of mineral salts. Thanks to the small volume of containers for growing plants, they can be placed not only in the lower part of the greenhouse, but also vertically, on the walls, and even under the ceiling, which allows you to increase productivity even in a small area. Everything would be fine if not for one “but”: crops grown hydroponically do not have a characteristic taste and smell. They are practically tasteless, although they have an attractive appearance. Even the low price does not compensate for the shortcomings in taste. But, nevertheless, although this technology is not suitable for the summer season (when there is an abundance of fresh greens straight from the garden on the market), it is widely used for growing greens in the winter months. In the absence of an alternative, consumers are willing to buy fresh greens, even if their taste leaves much to be desired.

There are also “intermediate” technologies for greenhouse cultivation of greens, which involve the simultaneous use of peat and ordinary soil and liquid fertilizers used in hydroponics. These technologies are three times more expensive than hydroponics, but the products grown with their help are not much different from those grown in open ground.

What material should greenhouses for growing greens be made of? Currently, glass and polyethylene are most widely used for this. A glazed greenhouse is more expensive both at the construction stage and during further operation, since glass does not retain heat well. In addition, on hot and sunny days, glass does not retain or diffuse light, which can cause burns to plants. As a last resort, tempered technical glass with a thickness of 6 mm or more can be used to build a greenhouse. This material can be purchased at a price of 1000 rubles per linear meter. However, polyethylene is not the best option, since, on the contrary, it transmits light very poorly. On cloudy days, there will be insufficient lighting in such a greenhouse, which adversely affects the plants. And the cost of heating a film greenhouse will be considerable. There are better options, which have recently become increasingly popular - metal structures with acrylic or polycarbonate coating. A greenhouse made from these materials is more expensive than a polyethylene one. But it will last much longer, and its efficiency will be higher.

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Construction of a greenhouse costs from 1,500 rubles per 1 sq. meter excluding additional equipment. At the same time, a greenhouse of 100 sq. meters (a relatively small greenhouse measuring, for example, 5 by 20 meters) gives about 80 square meters. meters of usable area. However, the area can be increased to 200 square meters. meters using a two-tier shelving system.

It is recommended to divide a large greenhouse into spans of 25 square meters. meters, which will make it easier to care for the plantings. Manufacturers, in an attempt to reduce the cost of greens as much as possible, do not pay much attention to either the quality of the soil or its fertilization. In extreme cases, if the greenery “fades”, then it is sprayed with urea, and if mold appears, it is treated with potassium permanganate.

Prospects and risks of green business

Although, in general, growing greens for sale is a promising and profitable direction, but only if several conditions are met. Production volumes come first - the larger they are, the better. And on the second (although this condition is no less important) is the availability of sales channels. You won’t earn much by selling greens on your own at the market or selling them to resellers for pennies. You can negotiate supplies with cafes and restaurants, but, firstly, their purchase volumes are not so large. Secondly, you need to provide all documents for your products. And thirdly, achieving such agreements will be very difficult.

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