Green House Farming Business Ideas: How to Start a Small Green House Farming Business

So you love gardening and keep a small green house. Do you know you can turn your hobby into a veritable business venture?

You earn good returns on your produce especially if you go organic. Organic produce attract premium prices and are highly favored.

 Greenhouse business is all about pursuing a hobby, having fun while earning money. You can grow virtually anything in your green house.

You can grow tomatoes, watermelon, peppers, vegetables and onions. The deference between running a commercial green house and a backyard green house is expense.

The labor, cost, and maintenance are major issues in commercial green houses. Things to consider while constructing of your green house is design, functionality, materials used in the construction.

Other considerations are type of produce, labor costs and nearness to market. Do you have to travel several miles to meet your customers.

These are important issues that contribute to profitability. Here are a few ideas on how to start your small greenhouse business.

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How to Start your Small Green House Business

Conduct a Feasibility Study

It is very important to conduct a feasibility study to understand your immediate market. You need to have a customer base for your products.

 Study the topography, community interests and types of fruits and vegetables they like. Gather as much data through surveys, interviews, market research and competitors.

How many farms, greenhouses are in your host community and what do they produce. Other considerations in your feasibility study are resident’s average age range, income levels and local government regulations.

How about the population, open stores and markets that sell produce. Study all the parameters will give a clear picture of challenges, and marketability.
Watermelon farming business

Local Government Rules and Regulations

Local government rues and regulations differ from one country to the next. In many countries a small greenhouse does not attract any permit or licensing except civil works. The location, size, design and operation are up to you. Find out if you are required to get any permit and locate your greenhouse accordingly.

If you secure land outside you need to factor transportation cost to and from the destination. Once you have established the type of permit you need allocate adequate space for your greenhouse.

Study the topography, water level and soil composition. Other things to take note of are water supply, utility bills and natural fauna.

It is better to go organic to make more money. Test the soil constituents to detect any trace elements such as pesticides or other unwholesome chemicals.

Determine the Size of your Operation

You need to evaluate the type of crops you want to plant and how much space they need. Calculate the width, height and distance between each crop.

 Other considerations are how many crops you need to sell to become profitable. This is because you factor labor, growth period, seedlings and maintenance into pricing.

To remain competitive, your prices should reflect those obtainable in your community. Producing a verity of crops that complement each other reduces space and offers your customers lots of choices.

 All these variables will help to determining the size of your greenhouse. Once you have the size in mind design a modern facility.

Try to build a passive solar greenhouse to extend the growing season in temperate regions. If you are in the tropics you don’t necessarily need a solar greenhouse.

Use cost effective measures to run your greenhouse while using high quality seeds and materials. Requirements in your greenhouse include pest control methods, ventilation, power and adequate water supply.

Add a powerful irrigation system, wire shelving, and proper fertilizer management.

What Crops to Grow?

You need to determine the types of crops to grow. The feasibility study would provide a picture of crops people like in your community.

The market research you carried out earlier is also important during pricing, seasonal plants and growth potential. Develop your interest and learn new growing techniques to enhance production in a relatively small space.

 Focus on crops that are easy to grow, loved by the community and attract high prices. Identifying a niche market with very few competitors is another effective method.

Learn modern methods of planting, compost, soil enrichment, maintenance and species of crop that produces grow fast. You also need to know crops that complement each other in your greenhouse.

Sourcing your Seeds

There are different ways to source your seeds. A simple way is buying packaged seeds from grocery stores.

You can purchase seeds from local farmers in your community or reach out to wholesale suppliers. Use online resources to buy seeds from producers. Other ways are from the open market, farm fairs, market women and foraging.

Marketing

You need to build a reputation and develop a market base. Market women will buy your produce if the price is right.

Sell your produce to individual consumers and grocery stores. If you sell in bulk you will have a quicker turnover however selling to individuals earn moderately more income.

If you want to advertise use local newspapers or magazines. Print handbills, banners and posters for consumers in your locality.

As your business grows you will get lots of referrals from satisfied customers.