Gertens Adds 114,000 Square Foot Greenhouse
Gertens Garden Center in Inner Grove Heights, Minn., has opened a new $1.5 million, 114,000-square-foot greenhouse that takes the industry’s state-of-the-art technology to a new level, reports Nick Ferraro, Pioneer Press.
The greenhouse includes high-tech environmental controls aimed at saving water, energy and labor costs, while an acrylic rooftop allows more light to reach the plants. With a 22-foot height, the building is able to include an irrigation boom with a walking platform and conveyor for fertilizing, pruning and rotating the crops.
The greenhouse, called a “finishing house,” took a year to build and will house plants after germinating and rooting but before they head to the retail center next door. This greenhouse replaces Gertens’ former Wolters Greenhouse & Garden Center in West St. Paul, Minn.
At the new site, Gertens has 25 percent more indoor production space per square foot and expects to reduce energy costs by 75 percent. Gertens also has approval from to city for further expansion that could add another 140,000-square-foot greenhouse to their 95-acre property.
Videos
