Greenhouse crop guide
Tomato
Match the greenhouse, crop cycle and market window instead of applying one yield assumption to every technology level.
Qualify this cropGreenhouse crop selection
Choose the crop route before choosing greenhouse technology.
Tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, leafy greens and strawberry each create a different production business. Start with the buyer, market window, location and operating team, then define the greenhouse and crop system that can deliver consistently.
The crop-first rule
Marketable production matters more than theoretical yield.
A crop name is only the beginning. Variety, product type, grade, planting date, crop cycle, harvest frequency, pack-out and selling window determine what the project must achieve. The greenhouse should then create the climate protection and working conditions required for that specific production route.
One universal yield figure is not a responsible basis for design. Expected marketable output must be connected to climate, water, crop system, plant material, labour skill, pest pressure, technical reliability and management. Revenue should be tested by week and grade, including realistic losses and rejected product.
- Buyer first
- Confirm product, grade, packaging, delivery frequency and realistic demand before fixing production capacity.
- Location evidence
- Use monthly climate, water analysis, utilities, structural loads and logistics—not a country label alone.
- Operating system
- Join crop work, irrigation, fertigation, hygiene, maintenance, packing and management in one plan.
- Downside case
- Test delayed planting, crop loss, weaker pack-out, lower prices, technical downtime and labour gaps.
Greenhouse crop guide
Cucumber
Plan fast crop development, crop work, harvest frequency and market access as one operating system.
Qualify this cropGreenhouse crop guide
Bell Pepper
Design for a long, balanced crop and the grades, colours and delivery pattern the market will actually buy.
Qualify this cropGreenhouse crop guide
Lettuce & Leafy Greens
Start with crop temperature, hygiene, water, production rhythm and the buyer’s shelf-life requirement.
Qualify this cropGreenhouse crop guide
Strawberry
Protect fruit quality and labour efficiency while matching variety, season and route to market.
Qualify this cropClimate and water set the boundaries
Temperature, humidity, radiation, rainfall and wind shape ventilation, covering, screening and cooling requirements. Water quantity, salinity, alkalinity, pathogens, storage and discharge rules shape the irrigation and root-zone system. These facts should be verified before a technology level is recommended.
People convert technology into crop
A greenhouse does not operate itself. Crop steering, scouting, hygiene, irrigation, maintenance, harvesting and grading require the right number of trained people at the right time. Higher technology may reduce some routine work while increasing dependence on specialist operators and technical response.
Post-harvest protects saleable value
Harvest frequency, grading, packing, cooling, storage and transport determine how much biological production becomes revenue. The packhouse and cold-chain route should be sized from realistic peak harvest and buyer requirements, not added after greenhouse capacity has already been fixed.
Inputs for first qualification
Bring evidence that connects the crop to a real project.
DutchAgriTech uses these inputs to shortlist a production route and identify what still requires feasibility, engineering or buyer confirmation.
- Country, site and monthly climate data
- Crop, variety and intended planting cycle
- Buyer, grade, packaging and weekly demand
- Water analysis, source and available volume
- Workforce, crop skill and management plan
- Land, utilities, logistics and investment position
From crop guide to project route
Use the guides to ask better questions—not to copy a universal recipe.
Every crop guide explains the major decisions, risks and possible greenhouse routes. Final area, systems, output, investment and operating assumptions remain specific to the site, market and team.