Where to build a greenhouse ? Near or in the city ? In the countryside ? In the middle of a desert or on a remote island ? All these things are possible and there are examples of successful greenhouses in all of these areas. But which area is the best for you ?

Here are few key factors which will help you make the right decision:

Ownership and possibility of ownership

It is always better to be the owner of the land on which the greenhouse is constructed. Any kind of lease or partnership with third parties is not favored by the banks, by the government, future investors or someone to whom you would like to sell the whole thing one day. So try to be the owner of the land.

Land has to be big enough

You need a big enough piece of land for your greenhouse, parking spaces, turnaround for the vehicles and also for future expansion. If you build a 2ha (5 acres) greenhouse in Faze 1, and your plan is to go up to 10 ha (25 acres) in the future, but the land around your plot is not available, then you have a problem. So better to think about this option from the beginning.

Fresh water supply

Is there enough fresh water for plant irrigation ? Either by means of digging the well which is the best option, or taking the water from the nearby river or a lake, or from the city water supply grid. Anyhow, is there water available ? No water, no growing…

Is this area with a lot of fog during the year ?

 Yes, there are areas which are clouded in fog for many, to many days during the year. This can significantly decrease your production and this fact must be considered.

How many sunny days are in the year total ?

This is more of a decision which comes when choosing a country or an area in the country. But the sun is production, at least with tomatoes. More sun also usually means less heating costs and more profits. Even if your greenhouse is located on a mountain plane, but with a lot of sunny days all year round, this is a better option then a foggy, cloudy plane with warmer temperatures.

Humidity

Avoid high humidity areas at all costs. Also, if the area has a small difference between day and night temperatures, this can be a huge problem for tomato production. This is sometimes the case with tropical and areas close to the sea… on some islands etc. So areas with a mild dry wind are the best. This dry air can also help with cooling down the greenhouse if needed.

Heating source

One of the key factors in choosing the land – location for your new greenhouse project is a heating source.

Are you going to heat the greenhouse using a geothermal well ? Then locate the greenhouse on a piece of land which is close to the well, or where you can drill a geothermal bore. 

Are you going to heat the greenhouse using natural gas ? Then make sure that a high capacity gas pipeline is near buy and that you will be allowed to connect to it.

Are you going to heat the greenhouse using a biomass material? Then you need to go where biomass is available.

Workforce

It is always good to position the greenhouse close to available workforce. If not close to the city, then at least close to a village. So people do not have to travel to far, and that you have the access to various technical and maintenance services which are needed in the greenhouse.

Close to the market

It is always best to have your greenhouse close to the city where tomatoes will be sold, or the country at least. This is important because of lower transportation costs, but also because then you can market the tomatoes as “local” which has its significance these days. Also you can harvest tomatoes more ripe and have them taste better.

But also have in mind, owning the land is just the beginning. Making a good business plan, setting up the production and sales process, organizing financing… these are the crucial things to do and each one of them needs to be taken good care to have a good start and success.