Crop Types

Lettuces and leafy greens require the most high-tech and investment-heavy facilities in the horticulture sector. In recent times there has been a significant increase in investment into the lettuce and baby leaf sectors, particularly in North America. People want reliable, consistent and safe food and these lettuce systems, which are typically highly-automated while growing within greenhouses, can certainly produce profitable volumes.

The lettuce and leafy green systems in operation are highly automated, however, they require a high level of capital investment.

This financial commitment is warranted, given yields are typically in excess of 100kg/sqm/annum.

An MGS (Moving Gulley Systems) is the preferred system type being used in our greenhouses, which can be automated and typically operated on a 21-day, first-in-first-out growth cycle. These systems, which include seeding, germination, transplanting, crop movement, harvesting and washing the grow gutters, can all be done without the need for human intervention.

Lettuce and leafy green systems also typically need to use some sort of supplemental lighting and potentially require mechanical cooling. These systems require a significant amount of air movement. with semi-closed greenhouses commonly used to ensure there is air movement below the grow gutters. 

Propagation facilities are some of the most tech-reliant in the commercial greenhouse industry, as watering systems must be reliable. 

Young plants require great care and optimum growth conditions to ensure they thrive. 

A young plant sets the foundation for the entire growing season, therefore it is vitally important that the propagator has the facility fitted with the appropriate equipment and safeguards required to deliver this to his customers. Customers are relying on a strong plant without disease that will continue yield well throughout its life, and setting up the ideal process at the begging is essential.

Internationally, growers generally place propagation facilities on benches or concrete floors in greenhouses. 

In Australia and New Zealand, we tend to see propagation equipment placed on benches in commercial greenhouses, which provides greater flexibility for smaller batches and for automated movements of plants. 

Propagation facilities within greenhouses can be automated through the use of seeding machines, germination chambers, grading machines, grafting robots, wetting lines, sticking machines and transplanting and spacing robots. Apex Greenhouses can work with owners to ensure they have access to state-of-the-art equipment when building their facility.

In-ground flowers or bench and container systems can be grown successfully in a greenhouse environment. 

New advancements in growing methods (particularly in chrysanthemum varieties) ensure that it is possible to propagate flower cuttings in-house through the use of multi-layer growing environments within greenhouses.

Cut-flower systems for soil-grown flowers are simple systems, but a good adjustable hoist heating or netting system can make all the difference to the success of the crop. 

Grain projects are not widespread within the greenhouse farming industry, however, there are grain-growing projects underway for breeding purposes or research. These are generally undertaken in small, high technology facilities. 

Often featuring LED lighting, pad and fan systems, misting systems and sometimes with heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) for more specific research projects, these facilities are also relatively capital intensive on a per sqm basis. 

Although grains are not yet grown in greenhouses for commercial purposes, we foresee that over the coming decades some high-value varieties will warrant growing in large-scale, high tech greenhouses.