RAISE GREENHOUSE VEGETABLES AS CASH CROPS

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THE ORGANIC OPTION

There's a definite market for organically grown produce, too . . . but be warned that many folks feel that raising hothouse vegetables without the use of chemicals can be a nightmare. Even with the best possible ventilation, the high temperatures and humidity of a greenhouse can turn the structure into a perfect incubator for insects and disease.

Fortunately, organic gardeners will usually find that university cooperative extension specialists are sympathetic to their needs and can often recommend biological controls for pathogens, plus nonchemical fertilizers. (Regrettably, only a few biological controls have been widely tested in greenhouse environments . . . Bacillus thuringiensis, soap and water, and predatory mites are some that have.)

For the most part, extension specialists are also convinced that hydroponic methods, including the relatively new Nutrient Flow Technique (NFT), can maximize production (however, they generally recommend that "water growers" respond quickly to disease and insects with appropriate chemical controls). And more and more greenhouse operators are going along with the NFT recommendations, though other hydroponics users continue to raise produce in individual bags of sand — or other lightweight media — which are fed with liquid fertilizer and watered through a trickle system.

LIFESTYLE LIMITS

Now that we've run through the most important physical and economic considerations facing the would-be hothouse horticulturist, let's take a look at the matter of lifestyle. If you were to imagine a stereotype within the ranks of greenhouse gardeners, it wouldn't be a university graduate fresh out of horticulture school. More likely, that "typical" individual would be an engineer or production specialist who has taken an early retirement, owns his or her own home, has up to $50,000 free and clear to invest, and can build or repair almost anything . . . usually with scrounged or adapted materials. Many such people will admit that they hated their career jobs (and often the companies they worked for) and that they've been saving and planning for years to get into the greenhouse business. All of them will say they love to grow plants.

Of course, there is a place in this business for new horticulture graduates, but — although they're qualified — they'll often have to go through months of training with an experienced greenhouse grower before they can earn the kind of salary they likely deserve. It's unfortunate, but the majority of these knowledgeable young people lack the financial resources to go into business for themselves — even after a successful training period — so most will end up working for large-scale growers.

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