"You're building a greenhouse to last 30 years, so you've got to look into the future and plan to increase efficiency"
Source: HD.com
We take the seed, put it in a cloth bag, pack wet material around it, and put it in the refrigerator for 30 days to six months depending on the cultivar," he explains. We've been collecting data for 40 years, but it doesn't always work the way published literature indicates, so we back it up with our own research.
Freestanding houses use 60% more energy, and they utilize more labor as well, especially when moving plants in and out of the greenhouse. North Creek selected a gutter-connect range from GGS Structures with 14-foot under gutter growing areas, and Tim designed the greenhouse specifications before any supplier was chosen.
One slight change: I grow three-quarter million ferns, they come in Spring, my shade systems run off a light sensor, by dropping the accumulated light from 500 joules to 300 joules it just closes the shading a little sooner. You're building a greenhouse to last a minimum of 30 years, so you've got to look into the future and plan to increase efficiency as much as you can on those two fronts," Tim says.
Why this matters: For operators, this is a water-management story. The useful signal is that direct substrate measurements can help cut drain loss materially without giving up yield or fruit quality, which is exactly the kind of controllable efficiency gain a facility can build on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does substrate sensing matter in free-drain strawberry systems?
Because drain percentage tells a grower what already happened, while substrate moisture and EC data show root-zone conditions directly. That makes it easier to cut water loss without guessing.
What is the operator takeaway from this trial?
If the thresholds are understood well enough, growers can reduce drain water materially while protecting yield and fruit quality, which makes sensing an operational tool instead of a reporting tool.
