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Summary—Florida Greenhouse Vegetable Production Handbook, Vol 1

G. J. Hochmuth

It should be keenly apparent to the prospective greenhouse vegetable grower that some formidable difficulties exist. Greenhouse vegetable production involves much expense and a great amount of risk. During the decision process, the potential new grower must understand and decide if the risks are manageable.

The production of greenhouse vegetables involves dealing with specialty horticultural crops that have some exacting requirements. If the production phase of greenhouse vegetable culture can be characterized, it would certainly include the descriptors intensive, timely, managerial-dependent, detail specific, and expensive.

Greenhouse vegetable production, however, can potentially be a high-return enterprise. Along with the potential for high return, comes the potential for great losses because of the high level of risk involved with this enterprise. There are many factors that need to be thoroughly investigated prior to entering the business of greenhouse vegetables. Depending upon how well a greenhouse operator can identify and manage all of the variables, the operator may have a highly rewarding enterprise or a financially frustrating one. Hopefully, this publication will help keep the prospective grower from facing the latter option.

For growers who decide to pursue greenhouse construction and crop production, information on those topics is available in succeeding publications (volumes 2 and 3).

More Information

For more information on greenhouse crop production, please visit our website at http://smallfarms.ifas.ufl.edu.

For the other chapters in the Greenhouse Vegetable Production Handbook, see the documents listed below:

Volume 1: IntroductionFinancial ConsiderationsPre-Construction ConsiderationsCrop ProductionConsiderations for Managing Greenhouse PestsSummary

Volume 2: Physical Greenhouse Design ConsiderationsProduction SystemsOther Design Information Resources

Volume 3: PrefaceGeneral Aspects of Plant GrowthProduction SystemsIrrigation of Greenhouse VegetablesFertilizer Management for Greenhouse VegetablesProduction of Greenhouse TomatoesGreenhouse Cucumber ProductionGreenhouse Nematode ManagementAlternative Greenhouse CropsVegetable Insect Identification and Management

Publication #HS773

Release Date:November 26, 2018

Reviewed At:September 3, 2021

Related Experts

Hochmuth, George J.

Specialist/SSA/RSA

University of Florida

Fact Sheet
Commercial

About this Publication

This document is HS773, one of a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date December 1990. Revised January 2001. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu for the currently supported version of this publication.

About the Authors

G. J. Hochmuth, professor emeritus, Department of Soil and Water Sciences, UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611. The Florida Greenhouse Vegetable Production Handbook is edited by George Hochmuth, professor of Soil and Water Sciences, and R. C. Hochmuth, Extension agent IV, UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center–Suwannee Valley, UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611.

Contacts

  • Robert Hochmuth
  • George Hochmuth