Edible adjustments

If you’re going from ornamental production to edible production in your operation – chances are you’ll need to make some changes and updates to ensure success with your new crop. CropKing’s Jeff Balduff highlights the most important considerations to make when making the switch.

Environmental control & equipment

You may want to weigh the benefits of choosing a more modern control system so that you can manipulate dehumidification control, heating, cooling and shading for your crop if necessary.

“In some greenhouses, the heaters are way undersized because they’re for a seasonal crop,” Balduff says. Or perhaps growers don’t have any cooling except some exhaust fans or shutters rather than some type of evaporative cooling. “Whether it’s a wet wall and fans or high-pressure fog system – there are lots of options out there,” Balduff says.

Floor slope

A lot of growing systems require some type of slope on the floor for proper system function. Hydroponic systems in general need to have some kind of drainage, Balduff says. It’s hard to get drainage on a long system that uses up the whole bay if there’s no slope in the floor in some way, shape or form.

“We can build a support structure for the growing system that does have slope in it,” Balduff says. “But it comes down to extra cost.”

Crop weight

If you’re looking to grow vining varieties – such as tomatoes, cucumbers or peppers – you’ll want to make sure you have a structure that supports the weight of those heavier crops. For example, tomatoes can carry up to 35 pounds of weight per plant.

“Most freestanding structures, unless they have a truss design to them, won’t support the weight of the crop,” Balduff says. “Or the older, gutter-connected houses don’t have any type of trussing in them to carry any weight on the structure itself.” You may have to factor in some additional supports in this area as well.

Coverings & lighting

If you’re growing an edible crop, up-to-date covering is necessary. Balduff says it’s also important to have a plan to make sure your crops are receiving adequate light—especially if you’ll be growing in shorter-light periods of the year.  

And if supplemental lighting is in your plan, you’ll want to make sure your structure is 1) tall enough to efficiently use the light and 2) that your electrical system and wires are up to date and able to handle the load the light will bring, he says. Even if a grower is considering LEDs, those costs and the amount of power required can add up after a time.  

Water quality

The elements contained in your water supply are crucial to understand when you’re considering a site for your greenhouse. This is especially if your operation is on city water where components like sodium are often added to soften the water. That can actually be a bad thing for a longer-term edible crop.

“One of the things we tell people is that it’s a good idea to get an agricultural water analysis done before they go much further so they know what to expect—whether their water is usable as it is, or if it’s going to require further treatment,” Balduff says.

Generally, that further treatment is reverse osmosis, which can get pricey. He says the $30 to $40 test will be a good upfront investment to better understand water quality.