University of Florida IFAS Extension provides a great source for Greenhouse Vegetable Production

Summary – Florida Greenhouse Vegetable Production Handbook, Vol 11

G. J. Hochmuth2
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://nfrec-sv.ifas.ufl.edu.
For the other chapters in the Greenhouse Vegetable Production Handbook, see the documents listed below:

Florida Greenhouse Vegetable Production Handbook, Vol 1

Introduction, HS 766
Financial Considerations, HS767
Pre-Construction Considerations, HS768
Crop Production, HS769
Considerations for Managing Greenhouse Pests, HS770
Harvest and Handling Considerations, HS771
Marketing Considerations, HS772
Summary, HS773

Florida Greenhouse Vegetable Production Handbook, Vol 2

General Considerations, HS774
Site Selection, HS775
Physical Greenhouse Design Considerations, HS776
Production Systems, HS777
Greenhouse Environmental Design Considerations, HS778
Environmental Controls, HS779
Materials Handling, HS780
Other Design Information Resources, HS781

Florida Greenhouse Vegetable Production Handbook, Vol 3

Preface, HS783
General Aspects of Plant Growth, HS784
Production Systems, HS785
Irrigation of Greenhouse Vegetables, HS786
Fertilizer Management for Greenhouse Vegetables, HS787
Production of Greenhouse Tomatoes, HS788
Generalized Sequence of Operations for Tomato Culture, HS789
Greenhouse Cucumber Production, HS790
Alternative Greenhouse Crops, HS791
Operational Considerations for Harvest, HS792
Enterprise Budget and Cash Flow for Greenhouse Tomato Production, HS793
Vegetable Disease Recognition and Control, HS797
Vegetable Insect Identification and Control, HS798

Footnotes

1.
This document is HS773, one of a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Original publication date December 1990. Revised January 2001. Reviewed February 2008. Visit the EDIS Web Site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.
2.
G.J. Hochmuth, professor of Horticultural Sciences and Center Director, North Florida Research and Education Center, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. The Florida Greenhouse Vegetable Production Handbook is edited by George Hochmuth, professor of Horticultural Sciences and Center Director, North Florida Research and Eduction Center and Robert Hochmuth, extension agent IV, North Florida Research and Education Center – Suwannee Valley, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611
You can visit http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/cv251 for additional details.

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