Oh, how many wonderful discoveries the spirit of enlightenment is preparing for us. Alexander Sergeevich was right, oh how right he was. A recent trip to Samara became a good reason to destroy a bunch of outdated stereotypes in my mind. I had the opportunity to visit an ultra-modern greenhouse on the outskirts of the city and I rethought a lot in my ideas about greenhouse vegetable growing. However, this is not surprising. Before this, I had only ever been in an old-school greenhouse with dusty glass and a rusty frame and in a homemade shack covered with polyethylene near Voronezh. Therefore, the current technologies for growing vegetables and herbs, demonstrated at Teplichny OJSC, made a very strong impression on me (as well as on other participants in the blog tour).

02 . And last but not least, almost sterile cleanliness. First of all, we were earnestly asked to put on dressing gowns. Naturally, this is done to protect not us, but the plants. You never know what kind of infection we can bring into a greenhouse on our outerwear.

03 . The first impression is some kind of futuristic factory! The ceiling height is 6 meters, there are sensors, control panels everywhere, and heating pipes alone in the enterprise are about 700 km. And almost no people are visible. A modern greenhouse has an incredibly high level of automation. But I’ll talk about the personnel and microclimate control systems a little lower.

04 . Let's take a look at the automatic seeding line for now. The beginning has begun, so to speak.

05 . This machine allows you to sow seeds 12-15 times faster than a team of four women can do. The photo below shows how its nozzles with lightning speed draw in exactly one lettuce seed from the tray at a time. Then they are automatically planted in pots with soil prepared by her and return again for a portion of seeds.

06 . The result of the line operation. Each pot filled (attention!) with coconut substrate contains exactly three pelleted seeds. Seed pelleting, that is, covering the seeds with a protective nutrient coating, is one of the methods of their pre-sowing preparation. Sometimes this technology for protecting planting material is called seed encrustation.

06 . Next, the trays with “fertilized” pots are sent to a special germination chamber, where, at ideal temperature and humidity, the seeds germinate within 24 hours.

07. After which they are placed in the seedling department. There, with round-the-clock lighting, the seedlings stand for 10 days.

08 . The tables of the seedling department are plastic trays onto which a special nutrient solution is supplied by a pump, the roots are washed with it for 15 minutes, after which the solution is drained back into the system.

09 . All tables move easily, saving usable space. And this, it should be noted, is the right decision. In secret, the cost of a hectare of such a greenhouse costs about 70 million rubles.

10. Can you guess what these yellow leaves hovering above the salad tables are for? That’s right, no, no, if a stubborn insect slips into a practically airtight greenhouse, that’s where it ends. Do you see the white rectangular gutters? A nutrient solution circulates in them around the clock and washes the roots of plants. After 20 days, the finished product is removed from the chute, and another is put in its place. Juicy, crisp lettuce leaves are packaged and sent to stores. Neither more nor less, but 4 thousand packs of salad a day.

11 . Pay attention to the number of lamps under the ceiling. Yes, regardless of the weather outside, the inside of the greenhouse should be light, warm and humid.

12 . Whatever one may say, one of the main problems hindering the development of an enterprise is the high cost of energy. Once upon a time there was a state farm of the same name with a fifty-year history, the modernization of which began in 2006. Alas, the area where the greenhouse plant is located is still not gasified. In this connection, the company was forced to finance the construction of its own powerful electrical substation. It will be launched soon.

13 . But let's return to the greenhouses again. Or rather, to the unit for preparing the nutrient solution mentioned above. It is with the help of it that a strictly dosed supply of a balanced nutrient solution is carried out to the plants. The solution unit prepares a nutrient solution according to specified parameters (EC and pH) by mixing two or more mother solutions and acid with water. Mixing of water with mother liquors and acid occurs in adjustable ejection mixers. The control controller records the concentration and pH level of the nutrient solution every second and maintains them at a given level. If a careless or inexperienced operator prepares a watering recipe incorrectly or even in the wrong proportion (not to mention prohibited fertilizers), the computer will generate an error and watering will not be carried out.

14 . Programming watering tasks has what is called a user-friendly interface in Russian, does not require special knowledge and is mastered within a few hours, allowing you to optimally organize balanced plant nutrition. The solution unit controller has a graphic LCD screen, where you can program irrigation tasks using navigation buttons.

15 . But it seems we spent too much time in the seedling and salad workshop and it’s time for us to look at something more significant. For example, a workshop where tomatoes are produced. Its area is 2 hectares. A real tomato jungle taller than a human being! The same area is occupied by a workshop where cucumbers are grown.

16 . All these hectares are equipped with so-called low-volume technologies - that is, drip irrigation systems. That is, EACH of the 350,000 plants has a drip line. Do you see those little tubes at the very roots? At the end of December, cucumber seedlings are placed on coconut mats. And the roots grow in this very bag. That is, it turns out that nothing grows in damp, moldy soil as before, women do not have to carry heavy hoses and they have more time to care for and tie up plants. And most importantly - no weeds!

17 . By the way, about women. Men cannot cope with such seemingly uncomplicated work. And in general, in this area, everything is still difficult with both qualified and ordinary personnel. Good agronomists are extremely difficult to find. There is a high turnover among female vegetable growers. Although, according to management, they receive 40-50 thousand rubles a month. White. I don’t know how it is in Samara, but for Voronezh this is a very decent salary.

18 . In greenhouse conditions, tomatoes grow up to 14 (!!!) meters in height and women, as they grow, lower them on threads. Thin plastic tubes with drilled holes are also hung throughout the hectares. Through them, carbon dioxide enters the plants. If you forgot your school biology course, let me remind you that plants absorb it and release oxygen. Gas is purchased in barrels in a liquid state; after connecting through a heater and gasifier, it enters the greenhouse. The concentration and dose are set by the chief agronomist daily, depending on the lighting, the amount of watering and the condition of the plants. I would like to emphasize that the concentration is absolutely safe for humans.

19 . Since the cucumber varieties grown here are bee-pollinated, Teplichny also has its own beekeeping workshop. Moreover, bees are imported all the way from Uzbekistan. The local bees genetically wake up earlier than our Russian ones. Accordingly, they begin to pollinate in January/February, and ours only in March/April. But since bees mainly pollinate cucumbers, bumblebees are also purchased from Belgium and Israel. Their proboscis is slightly longer than that of bees, so they pollinate tomatoes better. One such bumblebee family of 100 individuals costs about 100 euros. They work for about a month and then die. By the way, both bees and bumblebees seem to hint to us about the purity of the final product, since an insect simply will not land on a chemically treated flower.

20 . Sergey And Nikita are also waiting for their bumblebee for portrait photography. Nikita even boldly knocks on their cardboard house.
For some reason I immediately remembered the cartoon about Winnie the Pooh and stepped aside.

21 . But that's not the point. Photos of ripening tomatoes as a keepsake and move on to cucumbers.

22 . Everything is generally similar, but not without its own characteristics. If tomatoes are planted once a year (in November), then cucumbers are grown in two rotations. From November to June and from July to November. After the end of the season, the entire area is treated with poison to kill diseases. After this, the women hand wash every centimeter of the block with cleaning products and powders.

23 . Cucumbers, as you can see, are grown prickly and with pimples. My mom and wife only buy these.

24 . The company also has its own biological laboratory. Biologically active ticks – entomophages – are bred in it. By examining plants, biologists identify various microscopic pests. Select the required type of entomophages and plant them on diseased plants. Ticks happily eat their enemies and the plant recovers. They are absolutely harmless and invisible to humans. But thanks to this biomethod, there is no need to use pesticides. Such mites exist in nature, it’s just that in a closed greenhouse there is nowhere for them to grow in large numbers, so they are bred, multiplied, fed and treated. These predatory mites live on beans, beans and soybeans in the laboratory.

25 . Well, for dessert, I’ll show you a screenshot of a computer screen with the interface of the main control program. it is called "Monitor" and was developed by a Russian company. It collects information from all kinds of nodes, subsystems, sensors, controllers and other control computers and monitors all technological processes from a single workstation. In addition, the program has a self-diagnosis function. Its main task is to automatically analyze the operation of connected systems and draw the user’s attention to those parameters that require attention. With the help of an audit, it is easy and quick to identify any violations in cultivation technology, be it an incorrect assignment by the agronomist, inefficient use of resources (heat and electricity), or even an emergency situation. And of course, the responsible person will receive an SMS message on their mobile phone.

That’s all for today, and next time I’ll tell you about another high-tech agricultural enterprise nearby.

I remind copy-pastors that when reprinting photographs and text active reference to the source is required. Without noindex And nofollow.
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Anyone who lives outside the city all the time or only in the summer, sooner or later comes to the idea of ​​building a greenhouse on their property.

The foundation must be erected only for greenhouses with an area of ​​10 square meters or more.

If you have a modern greenhouse near your home, you can have fresh vegetables, berries and flowers all year round. A polycarbonate greenhouse, which is considered the most popular at present, usually consists of:

• foundation;
• frame frame (polyvinyl chloride, wood, steel, aluminum);
• coatings (polycarbonate);
• doors and vents;
• drains and the entire water supply system;
• racks for plants, shelves, stands.

Only greenhouses with a total area of ​​more than 10 m³ are installed on the foundation. Other structures can make do with temporary foundations or without them at all, since polycarbonate is strong and holds its shape well, but at the same time is flexible and will withstand slight soil movements without harm.

A frame made of duralumin has many advantages. It is light, durable, easy to process, plastic, and non-corrosive. But such material often becomes the prey of non-ferrous metal collectors during the winter.

Greenhouses made from steel corners are strong and durable, but are prone to corrosion and, like all metals, have high thermal conductivity. Wooden frames also last as long as steel frames, a total of 5 years.

The frame made of PVC pipes does not rot, does not rust and will last for decades. However, such a structure does not require a foundation.

Differences between greenhouses according to some characteristics

In general, greenhouses can be classified according to several criteria. By location they can be:

1. Wall-mounted. The advantage is saving on heat and building materials, but the amount of light and space decreases in proportion to this. Snow falling from the roof of a house can cause deformation.
2. free-standing.

According to the form of classification even richer, a modern polycarbonate greenhouse can be:

1. Domed. Exotic appearance, very difficult to manufacture. Suitable only for small ornamental plants. In winter, when the area is covered with snow, it looks more than impressive.
2. Trapezoid (Dutch). Rational shape, strong frame, ability to install partitions inside.
3. Arched. Requires less materials for construction, the absence of sharp corners simplifies the installation of the coating, and such greenhouses have a longer service life.
4. Polygonal. It can become the most expensive garden structure, surpassing even a house. The main reason for choosing such a greenhouse is its decorative effect. Despite the difficulties in construction, the polygonal shape is quite practical, as it optimally distributes light and heat.
5. Tunnel. A simplified version of a greenhouse, without doors.
6. Gable, or “house”. Ideal for tall plants.

Depending on what type of heating the greenhouse has, three types can be distinguished:

1. Unheated, greenhouse greenhouse. Valid only in summer, dismantled for winter. This structure does not require a foundation, which speeds up and reduces the cost of its use.
2. Partially heated. Such a greenhouse does not remain on the site for the winter, but begins to function early and remains in operation until severe frosts. Whether to lay the foundation for this greenhouse is up to everyone to decide for themselves. Most often, polycarbonate is used for such greenhouses, as it can withstand frost without problems and retains heat well.
3. Heated, or greenhouse, winter garden. Such greenhouses require a well-insulated base and a full-fledged heating system. Operation in cold weather requires the abandonment of plastic and film for the outer covering. Only polycarbonate or glass can withstand frost.

A modern heated version of a polycarbonate greenhouse will allow you to grow vegetables, berries and exotic flowers all year round, but this type of construction is much more expensive.

On top of this are heating costs during the cold season.

Modern greenhouses can also be divided according to the method of growing plants. The following are highlighted:

• soil;
• hydroponic;
• aeroponic.

There are many ways to classify modern greenhouses. Based on the type of structure, greenhouses can be framed and frameless; based on the time of operation, greenhouses can be divided into winter and spring-summer.

Return to contents

Choosing a modern greenhouse by size

When choosing the size of a greenhouse, many factors should be taken into account, such as the size of the area and the height of the plants that you plan to grow. Standard sizes of polycarbonate greenhouses range from 2 to 6 m in length and 2-3 m in width. The height can be from 1.5 m and above, but, as a rule, no higher than 3 m.

Farm greenhouses are large in size, since the number of plants in them is very large. But for an ordinary summer cottage, small greenhouses and greenhouses, often wall-mounted, will be sufficient. If you plan to provide only your family with fresh herbs, a small greenhouse will be enough.

Whether to make it gable or gable depends on personal preference. A gable roof is more difficult to construct, but more convenient to use. This type of roof allows heat and light to pass through well, and removes precipitation in the form of rain or snow.

The Russian climate indulges in special warmth only in the southern regions. But modern greenhouses will help you get a good harvest of a variety of crops indoors in any area. It is important to understand what risks to plants prevail in your climate zone and be able to choose the right greenhouse.

What risks do greenhouses protect against?

Even if the weather suggests a large number of warm days and hours a year, there are always risks that a modern greenhouse will save you from:

• sudden change in air temperature;
• prolonged and heavy rains;
• strong winds;
• strong increase in air temperature;
• birds and rodents;
• transmission of diseases by wind.

Types of modern greenhouses

The variety of modern greenhouses is amazing. They may differ in a variety of parameters, which we will consider below.

By location

• Wall-mounted - when one of the walls of the building serves as the facade of a house or a wall in the garden.
• Free-standing - have their own base, including decorative ones of any size.

By type of structure

• Frame - having a frame structure. They are divided into collapsible and non-collapsible.
• Frameless, for example frame greenhouses or film covering.

Various shapes

• Gable - has two inclined slopes. This is a greenhouse with a “house”.
• Single-pitch, most often wall-mounted.
• Arched - has a semicircular shape, which makes installation of the coating easier.
• Tunnel - a type of arched, but longer and stronger.
• In the shape of a trapezoid (Dutch). Partitions are possible inside. Lighter, warmer, more stable than gable.
• Dome and pyramid are types of exotic greenhouses. Most suitable for ornamental plants.
• Polygonal - has 6, 7 or 9 vertical edges. Often as an option for decorating a site.
• Mini greenhouse. An excellent structure for a small area. But in summer, plants can overheat. It is important to ventilate on time.

You can see the shapes of different designs in the photo below.

Various purposes

• Small greenhouses for summer cottages and personal plots.
• Commercial buildings on private property - for example, one greenhouse for several cottages.
• Farm greenhouses of different sizes.
• Greenhouse complexes of agricultural complexes.

With and without heating

• Unheated ones, including greenhouses, operate only in the summer and are often dismantled for the winter. Usually without a foundation. More designed to protect against rain, winds and pests.
• Partially heated. Most often made of polycarbonate. Such structures can be planted early and removed in late fall. They can be with or without a foundation.
• Winter. They are thoroughly insulated and have a heating system. They can be buried in the ground and have a solid foundation.

By heating type

• Electrical - electrical generators, oil radiators, infrared lamps and so on.
• Gas - gas boilers, burners.
• Steam - heating by steam boilers.
• Water - water boilers, batteries, boilers and more.
• Kiln - display in a greenhouse or in an adjacent oven room.

Made from modern coating materials

• Under the film.
• Glass.
• With polycarbonate.
• Awning.

Various lengths and widths

• Small - from 0.5 m to 4 m.
• Medium - up to 8 m.
• Large - more than 8 m.

The width of working greenhouses can be from 1.5 to 5 or more meters. It is clear that you can make a structure of any size with your own hands, if you have the desire and financial opportunity.

With different snow loads

Modern factory greenhouses differ significantly in terms of the level of maximum permissible snow load. This can be from 10 kg to 500 and above. Which is very important to consider in different climatic regions.

For different plant growing technologies

• Soil - plants are grown in the ground.
• Hydroponic - instead of soil there can be gravel, crushed stone, hay, expanded clay and other porous materials. Plants stand or are suspended in an appropriate, necessarily highly humidified environment.
• Aeroponic - growing in air without soil. Nutrients are supplied to plant roots by aerosols. In this case, the plant is fixed, and the roots simply hang in the air.

With and without additional equipment

Modern factory-assembled designs may come with a variety of equipment included. This could be automation for irrigation and microclimate, an automatic ventilation or fertilizer system, heating units and other useful devices and systems. In greenhouses of the cheaper segment and homemade ones, you will have to do a lot yourself. Videos posted on the site will help you solve emerging problems and questions.

Modern greenhouses delight with their variety and functionality, but they differ significantly in prices and costs for independent production. Therefore, before choosing one or another option, you need to carefully calculate the economic benefits of the project.

If you are planning a greenhouse for a hobby or to provide fresh vegetables and herbs for one family, it will probably cost you a minimum of equipment and additional structures. If you start a greenhouse business on a serious basis, it is better to choose a more solid structure, equipped with all the necessary automatic systems and complexes.

Every novice gardener has to face the question of how to make a greenhouse on their own plot. This design allows you to easily start growing natural, fresh vegetables and herbs in early spring, even at sub-zero night temperatures. In addition, the greenhouse is able to protect delicate plants from heavy precipitation, wind and direct sunlight.

If you choose the right building material and optimal design, you can get an indispensable garden assistant.

Greenhouse, greenhouse and their differences

In natural usage, greenhouse and greenhouse are often used as synonyms. However, this is not entirely true. The greenhouse is a large-sized structure equipped with main communications, namely heating, an artificial irrigation system, and ultraviolet lighting.

The design of the greenhouse allows you to grow various crops throughout the year. Many greenhouses are built on a foundation, and the height of the structure allows a person to easily carry out work at full height.

If you take a look at the photo of a greenhouse and a greenhouse, it will immediately become clear that the first one does not have any communications, its size is small. The main purpose of a greenhouse is to protect plants from aggressive natural conditions in early spring and cold autumn.

Structural features and type of assembly make it possible to divide all greenhouses into several classes: portable, permanent (possibly installed on a foundation).

When it comes to choosing between a greenhouse and a greenhouse, it is worth keeping in mind that installing a greenhouse is considered an expensive undertaking, in which professional farmers rather than amateur gardeners invest their efforts and resources.

If you organize a standard size greenhouse on your garden plot, it will be quite enough to provide the average family with a harvest. A greenhouse can be a good alternative to a greenhouse structure.

It will not be difficult to prepare seedlings in winter in cups on the windowsill, and plant them in a greenhouse in the spring. An early harvest will please any family.

Types of greenhouses

Not only the design, shape and material used for covering allow us to talk about the types of greenhouses. Their location and main purpose also make it possible to distinguish several types.

Seedling greenhouses have a small height, due to which they are able to retain heat well during frosts. In such greenhouses you can grow seedlings right away, without going through the stage of using cups where the seeds are planted.

In addition, in a greenhouse, plants receive a kind of hardening, subsequently having greater endurance compared to home ones. A seedling greenhouse can accept and grow any type of vegetables, herbs and even flowers. It makes a good greenhouse for a summer residence.

Home greenhouses are built on balconies or window sills and do an excellent job of growing a full-fledged crop. True, it is necessary to select varieties of vegetables and herbs that are adapted to grow indoors (cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, etc.). By thinking through a multi-tiered design, you can save a lot of space.

Mobile greenhouses have an advantage over stationary ones, since they can be moved around the site as needed (for example, to free up space, or to expose the structure to the sun's rays). At the end of the season, the greenhouse can be easily removed from the area, saving space.

Small greenhouses make it possible to work with a small number of seedlings. The structure can be disassembled, thereby changing the size of the bed.

Care

All parts of dismantled structures must be cleaned of dirt and dust at the end of the season. To do this, you can use a solution of potassium permanganate or mustard. After this, they are thoroughly dried and stored in a dry room protected from precipitation.

In the case of stationary structures (with a foundation, glass or polycarbonate), seasonal maintenance should be carried out more thoroughly.

To prevent the proliferation of pests, the walls of the greenhouse are treated with a solution of potassium permanganate, the old soil is removed by 10-15 cm, after which new soil is added, and ash, sand, humus, and sometimes wood are added to it. Then it is carefully dug up and treated with a sulfur bomb.

The greenhouse, ready for the new season, is left open until the onset of frost or until the first snowfall. In winter, it is advisable to close the greenhouse tightly to protect it from snow and gusts of wind.

It will be useful to leave some snow in the greenhouse. In spring, melt water can have a beneficial effect on soil quality. In case of heavy snowfalls, the greenhouse must be cleaned with a shovel or broom; in case of moderate precipitation, it can be left alone.

Greenhouse material

Unlike a greenhouse, greenhouses are easy to manufacture. To install a greenhouse yourself will require ingenuity, certain construction skills, and financial costs. But you can make a greenhouse with your own hands, even if you use available and, accordingly, inexpensive materials.

The covering of most greenhouses is polyethylene film (sometimes reinforced). The material is easy to find in any hardware store and its price is low. Non-woven lutrasil or spunbond is also suitable.

Due to their high cost, cellular polycarbonate and glass are not often used. If you make a greenhouse from window frames, then the issue with the covering material is already resolved, provided that the glass is intact.

The basis of the greenhouse is a frame, which can have different shapes: in the form of an arc, a triangle, like a miniature greenhouse. The material for the frame can be polypropylene pipes, metal or fiberglass reinforcement, glued wooden blocks, window frames and balcony doors.

By properly organizing a greenhouse on your site, you will no longer need to waste your energy on replanting plants after the next frost.

Getting a fresh harvest for many years ahead of everyone else will not be difficult if the design is of high quality and reliable.

Greenhouse photo

The share of imported greenhouse vegetables in Russia is about 70% of sales. Its quality leaves much to be desired; Russian cucumbers and tomatoes are much tastier, cause less concern, and are in great demand among buyers. Sanctions and rising import prices forced retailers to turn to domestic producers. The absence of large greenhouse complexes gives small businesses a chance to develop.

 

Consumption of greenhouse vegetables is approximately 11 kg per year for each resident of Russia. Of these, 4 kg are domestic products, and 7 kg are imported from abroad. In the last 10 - 15 years, people have begun to buy more of them, which is facilitated by the fashion for “healthy eating” and approaching Western standards of living. Therefore, the Russian greenhouse business is experiencing a rebirth.

In 2012, the State Program for the Development of Crop Production for 2013-2020 was adopted. It included the allocation of large-scale subsidies for greenhouse farming: up to 50% for equipment, and up to 30% compensation for electricity costs during operation until 2020. At the beginning of its introduction, there were only about 2,000 hectares of greenhouses in Russia, most of which required reconstruction (for comparison: in Holland - 10,000 hectares).

This caused a boom of interest among large agricultural holdings, retailers, and investors. Sberbank, Gazprombank, Vladimir Potanin, the younger Abramovich, Mikhail Fridman and many others invested. Over the past two years, construction of greenhouse complexes with an area of ​​about 600 hectares and several large distribution centers has begun. However, government money does not arrive regularly, and the initial costs are very high. The payback period for projects is 7 - 10 years.

While business giants are “swinging” and dividing state money, small and medium-sized manufacturers are slowly occupying the niche being freed from imports. Let's take a closer look at the components of successful production of vegetables in closed ground. A greenhouse as a business is profitable if the entrepreneur:

• studied the local demand well and found a permanent sales channel;
• uses modern designs and agricultural techniques;
• solved the problem of energy intensity, which makes the business profitable.

Demand for vegetables and customer preferences

Due to the harsh Russian climate, even residents of the southern regions receive vegetables “from the garden” for a maximum of 5 months, while for the rest they are available for 2 - 3 months a year. A survey of buyers by FDFgroup, conducted in the summer of 2015 in Moscow, showed that residents of the capital buy fresh vegetables:

• at least once a month - about 90%;
• more than once a week - about 60%;
• buy occasionally - only 8% of respondents.

At the same time, about 60% of buyers regularly purchase cucumbers and onions, about 56% of tomatoes, cabbage and greens. And in winter, of course, these are only vegetables grown indoors. According to the study, fewer of them were purchased last year than in 2014, which is certainly due to higher prices. The prevailing places of purchase are shown in Figure 1.

Interestingly, the quality of the product is assessed differently: 94% of satisfied customers in the market, in supermarkets - 81%, and in regular stores - 77%. At the same time, the indicators for quality and assortment are lowest in the large chain stores “Magnit” and “Pyaterochka”. Reason: imported goods - tasteless, hard vegetables and fruits pumped with special solutions, mostly from Turkey. But now they too have come under sanctions. By the way, both of these retailers began to build their own greenhouse farms.

Cucumbers and greens are in constant demand, and these are the easiest crops to produce, including by small businesses. The situation is more complicated with tomatoes. However, the demand for them is growing, and the lion's share of them was imported from abroad (Fig. 2). Therefore, the transition to growing tomatoes has good prospects.

How modern greenhouse production works

The main task of the greenhouse is to create an artificial microclimate for growing vegetables year-round. This requires much more costs than open-ground production. Bulky metal structures covered with glass, with outdated traditional heating systems, are no longer competitive. A modern greenhouse structure is determined by the following parameters.

Frame design

Most greenhouses are a standard width gallery, which, as a rule, can be extended in length. Roofs are gable, single-pitched or cylindrical. The frames are assembled from wooden arched structures, impregnated with an antiseptic, with press-fit nails; made of metal pipe, galvanized steel profile. Their service life is up to 25 years. They are installed on the foundation, piles, and sometimes simply on the surface. There are doors, transoms, vents, shelving, and less often partitions.

Quality of coating material

Glass has been replaced by film coatings and polycarbonate. Polyethylene film is an affordable material, but its service life is up to 3 years. It perfectly transmits sunlight, thanks to which the greenhouse warms up well on sunny days. But nighttime drops in temperature cause moisture condensation, which increases humidity and contributes to plant disease. Multilayer bubble-air films of the new generation do not have these disadvantages. Cellular polycarbonate is a lightweight, durable, plastic material that can withstand up to 100 kg/m2, resistant to wind and hail. The cost is significantly higher than that of film. It can withstand winter temperatures down to minus 50° and has good thermal insulation properties. Today it is the leader among greenhouse coverings.

Heating system efficiency

This is the most expensive part of the technological process. The share of costs for heating air, soil, and water is over 40% of the cost of production. And the total energy consumption, taking into account additional lighting in winter and ventilation in summer, reaches 60%. This is the main reason hindering the development of greenhouse production. The annual increase in prices for gas and electricity is approaching 15%, and in just the last ten years, energy prices have more than doubled. For example, when growing the most profitable crop: cucumber, the cost of electricity when using conventional fluorescent tubes for winter lighting exceeds the cost of the lamps themselves by 2 times, and is comparable to a major overhaul (replacement) of the entire lighting system.

Reduce energy consumption in all available ways, using energy-saving technologies; double covering of walls, combination of materials, heat shields, active soil substrates that release heat during decomposition (flax fire). Many entrepreneurs build their own boiler houses with tanks and buy autonomous thermal power plants.

This is where small businesses win over large greenhouse growers. It’s one thing to heat 5 - 10 greenhouses on 20 acres, and completely different scales of energy consumption on areas of 2 hectares and above. Thus, Russian craftsmen bury structures into the ground to preserve heat, sometimes to a meter depth; reducing the height, reducing the cost of covering walls and heating, they use simple potbelly stoves, heating them with available local raw materials. To this we need to add a variety of “know-how” in terms of creating heating systems of our own design and methods of connecting to household energy networks (especially in household plots).

Entrepreneurs Viktor and Valentina Stolyarov from the village of Krasnoye, Tver Region, first grew vegetable seedlings in greenhouses, and now roses. The flower business turned out to be more profitable. Despite the fact that a gas pipeline is connected to the site, the greenhouse is heated with wood. This is more economical, although more labor-intensive.

Automation of climate control

Guaranteed yield depends on compliance with temperature and humidity conditions. This is provided by irrigation systems, humidification, evaporative cooling, and curtain screens. In addition, a drainage system for internal drains and supply of fertilizer solutions and pesticides is being installed. Ventilation is often natural, through a system of vents. All this is monitored by an automatic control sensor system. Let us give as an example the average set of equipment for one greenhouse (Table 1).

Modern agricultural technology

First of all, it includes the selection of crops, high-quality seeds, and modern soil substrates. Using the seedling method speeds up the process by 2-3 weeks, makes it easier to care for, and increases efficiency. On one square meter of greenhouse, 3-4 different vegetable crops can be grown during the year, depending on the time of year and demand. This requires constant fertilization and control over the composition of the soil, knowledge of agricultural technology, while at the same time allowing the maximum use of the area.

The most common crop: cucumbers. Their average yield is 22-35 kg/m2. They are followed by greens: onions, dill, parsley, lettuce and radishes. But tomatoes are grown much less frequently. Despite the fact that their prices are high and their yields are good, they are more capricious and take longer to grow. Peppers and eggplants are practically not grown on small farms. It is believed that they are profitable only in industrial plants (from 20 hectares). However, below is an example that suggests otherwise.

Khakassia, Krasnoyarsk region. Farmer Nikolai Kutukov organized a profitable greenhouse business, starting from scratch in 2010, building the first greenhouse himself. At first I grew only green onions, but gradually switched to other crops. Now he has five greenhouses and grows cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet peppers, and eggplants. Sells products through local stores and markets. The area is remote, there are no large competitors nearby, so the entrepreneur plans to expand the farm.

The most pressing issue for small businesses is to find a distribution channel. It all depends on local conditions. In the center and south of Russia, many small producers prefer to sell their crops to wholesalers. The latter process and package it in their own distribution centers, reselling it to retailers. Sometimes it is more profitable to open your own store (pavilion) if there is demand and target audience.

Profitability of greenhouse production

According to Aslan Devdariani, who has been developing the greenhouse business for more than 10 years, a greenhouse must provide a profitability of at least 20% for production to break even. He grows only cucumbers, supplying them to the nearby city of Orsk; the greenhouse area is 2 hectares. It's not profitable to carry it further. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and the Agroinvestproekt company, the average operating profitability of industrial greenhouse complexes in central Russia is 30 - 40%.

However, let us give an example of production on a personal plot in a small industrial city. Ilya Odintsov grows the same cucumbers. With an average yield of 10 - 15 kg per 1 sq.m. (and it can be increased to 25 kg), he receives about 1,000 rubles in two months, selling them to wholesalers at a price of 80 rubles per 1 kg. He has 10 greenhouses with an area of ​​40 sq.m. each. Total, in a good season, revenue reaches 400 thousand, net income - 200 thousand rubles. By the way, in February-March, cucumbers are sold in stores for 180 - 200 rubles.

conclusions

1. There are greater chances of success for the greenhouse business in those areas where there are no industrial complexes, and the lack of vegetables is compensated by imported supplies.
2. It is more profitable to produce near an urban settlement, especially an industrial one, where the dacha economy itself is underdeveloped.
3. The main task is to minimize energy costs; agronomic knowledge and special skills are required.
4. The longer the period of use of the greenhouse, the more profitable it is. For example, growing cucumbers and herbs in February - March; radishes, seedlings - in May; then - early tomatoes.