Top 100 Grower Offers Insights from a Recent Expansion Project

By Greenhouse Grower staff|November 18, 2025

Photo: N. Casertano Greenhouses and Farms

It’s always interesting to learn about lessons and takeaways from greenhouse expansions. We recently reached out to a few companies and asked them this exact question.

The following update comes from John L. Casertano of N. Casertano Greenhouses and Farms Inc. in Cheshire, CT.

“Our recent 110,000 square foot expansion was built to improve peak season availability. As retail plant purchases continue to get concentrated into the traditional spring window, the need for seamless availability in the peak 8- to 10-week window is more important than ever before. Contracting product to supplement our production is getting more expensive, as contract growers are feeling the same inflationary pressure we are feeling. As we all know, margins are tight to begin with, so paying more for contract-grown product is becoming less tenable in the current environment.

“The expansion was built over outdoor field space. Nothing beats a perennial grown outdoors, unless it comes too late for the market! By covering this space with controlled environments, we were able to capitalize on peak-season opportunities with our own product. We controlled quality and variety and were able to be more nimble getting this product to market when needed; we didn’t have to wait for contract grown material to arrive. We are very happy that we did it and were able to capitalize better on spring opportunities and reduce expenses.”