Emerald Coast Growers Expanding Its Greenhouse Production Capacity

Pennisetum ‘Rubrum’Emerald Coast Growers recently announced it has expanded its Milton, FL, greenhouse operation, in order to meet increasing customer demand and improve efficiency.

“This space will enlarge our capacity and allow us to add new varieties while increasing availability on current varieties,” says Josiah Raymer, General Manager.

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Improvements to the Florida Panhandle growing space will deliver better energy efficiency, reduce labor, and increase flexibility in growing conditions for different crops.

Completed in early 2016, the new Atlas gutter-connected double-poly range is 36,864 square feet, bringing Emerald Coast Growers’ total growing area under cover to more than 500,000 square feet, in addition to more than 75,000 square feet of outside space. The new facility will be used primarily for tender grass production such as Rubrum and holds more than 19,000 trays.

“As is the case with all of our greenhouse in Florida, we utilize natural ventilation to deal with heat load for a large part of the year, while using poly tops exclusively for covering to facilitate removal when necessary as part of our hurricane preparation plan,” Raymer says.

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The greenhouse is equipped with separate interval mist and irrigation systems throughout; LED lighting, which draws approximately 10% of the power when compared to HPS lighting of similar light intensity; and Hired Hand propane heaters installed as two separate systems for redundancy in case of failure.

Emerald Coast Growers is celebrating 25 years of success in the horticulture business this year. Known for their wide variety of perennial starter plants and specialty plants, Emerald Coast Growers is one of the industry’s largest suppliers of ornamental grass liners to North American growers and retailers. With more than 500,000 square feet of greenhouse space, 100 acres of farmland, and growing locations in both the Northeast and Southeast, Emerald Coast Growers consistently supplies top-quality starter plants to growers throughout North America, available by common carrier, grower truck, or customer pickup in Florida or Pennsylvania.

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