What Sedan Floral Learned From its Recent Greenhouse Expansion
May 26, 2018 
Ali and Jonathan Cude
Greenhouse Grower recently asked Jonathan Cude, President/CEO of Sedan Floral, about the lessons he learned from Sedan’s recent greenhouse expansion that would help make the process go smoother for other growers who plan to expand. Here’s what he had to say:
“We chose to work with the Van Wingerden Greenhouse Company on our new 4.6-acre range and put up the MX3 greenhouse system. We did most of the work for our expansion in-house, everything from leveling the pad and pouring the concrete to bolting everything together. At times, I felt like I was reinventing the wheel during this expansion. It probably would have been easier to tour 10 different greenhouses and replicate what I liked.
Our location was less than ideal. It was a hillside, covered in trees, brush, and solid sandstone. Our choices were to either dig in the rocky hillside or build in an area that might flood. Picking a good location with room to expand at the beginning is paramount.
As with any greenhouse project, it’s important to start planning early. Have a good plan in place at the beginning for utilities, drainage, and material storage. As the project nears completion, all the little details compound and can create the most challenges. When you have worked those details out ahead of time, the process goes much smoother, and you’re more prepared to deal with challenges when they arise.
This was a completely new facility and a first for me. Richard Van Wingerden claims we will earn the title for the slowest greenhouse completion ever. He’s probably right; however, I feel confident in how and what we achieved. The next one will go much faster!”
Sedan Floral is a wholesale bedding plant operation and family owned greenhouse business based in Sedan, KS, that serves independent garden centers in the Midwest and Southern regions of the U.S. Sedan Floral is No. 85 on Greenhouse Grower’s Top 100 Grower list with 742,156 environmentally controlled acres. Learn more about the operation by visiting its website.
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