With drought conditions affecting more and more growing regions worldwide, water efficiency has moved from a best practice to a business necessity. For growers evaluating
Many growers today are operating or acquiring greenhouses that were built decades ago. These structures have produced successful crops for years but may now struggle
Why Putting the “Build First” is Risky Feasibility – the state or degree of being easily or conveniently done. At first glance, building a greenhouse
So, you want a year-round greenhouse? Time to dig deep—literally. One of the most important decisions in any greenhouse project is the foundation design. The
In recent years, many fully automated indoor farms (vertical farms) have struggled financially or closed operations entirely. While indoor farming still holds promise, the setbacks
Key Takeaways With these factors in mind, the real question isn’t if commercial greenhouses can be profitable—but under what conditions they make sense as an
In Salt Lake City, Utah, construction is underway for what will become an exciting new hands-on learning space for students and other community members to
When starting a new greenhouse cultivation operation or expanding an existing one, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with options. Typically the initial question is what
At Ceres we specialize in passive solar greenhouse design for many different types of growers. While most of our clients are looking for a full
Building Management Systems (BMS) have been instrumental in providing efficient control and monitoring systems in industrial and commercial buildings, primarily for heating, ventilation, and air
If you’re an avid gardener that wants to stay prolific when the days get colder and darker, you’re probably thinking about ways you can optimize
As winter approaches, many regions face the inevitable shift in weather conditions that come with this season. For commercial greenhouse operators, this means adapting operations
Learn how to heat your greenhouse in the winter by harnessing and storing solar energy to keep your greenhouse growing through the colder months without
A greenhouse is an excellent addition to a school’s campus and curriculum. An educational greenhouse acts as a living classroom to provide hands-on learning
Like any business, greenhouses should be completely prepared for any unexpected emergencies, including power outages. For commercial greenhouses, a power outage is much more than an
Ceres was founded with a mission to create energy-efficient growing spaces that make net zero food production possible. To achieve this, we have designed greenhouses that are
Developing a greenhouse lighting strategy for your grow operation might seem overwhelming. How much do I need to use greenhouse supplemental lighting? Does light intensity
The Center of Excellence for Indoor Agriculture Thinking of starting a farm? You are not alone. Farms offer an opportunity to connect with nature, work
Figure 1: Integrating solar panels with a greenhouse can make it off-grid, but it takes careful consideration of your goals and the best strategy for
As summer approaches and the outside temperatures begin to rise, the temperature inside your greenhouse will begin to rise with it. How do you
A Ceres greenhouse just north of the Canadian border has been getting a lot of attention recently. After being featured in the July issue of Greenhouse
The cost of energy is rising at an alarming rate. Natural gas prices, in particular, have greenhouse growers nervous about their operational costs and questioning
When we design our commercial greenhouses, certain aspects of the structure (truss spacing, glazing material, and climate control equipment) can be adapted to the client’s
Solar greenhouse design begins with choosing the correct orientation for your greenhouse on your given site. For those in the Northern hemisphere, the length of the
Finding the best greenhouse roof pitch angle is not as clear cut as some passive solar greenhouse designers make it sound. Passive solar greenhouse designers
Location/Climate Zone – Wanship, Utah, Zone 5bSize – 30′ x 60′Type – HighYield™ Kit Crop – veggiesYear Complete – 2019Application – community greenhouse for luxury resort
Location/Climate Zone – Bragg Creek, Alberta, Canada, zone 4aSize – 30′ x 41′Type – HighYield™ Kit Crop – veggies, herbs, micro greens, plant propagationYear Complete –
Location/Climate Zone – Saugerties, New York, Zone 6aSize – 30′ x 50′Type – HighYield™ Kit Crop – plant growth experiments Year Complete – 2019Application – educational
Understanding the meaning of a “greenhouse kit” At Ceres, we design highly efficient greenhouses for many different applications. The same design elements attributed to our
There are many different shapes and building styles of passive solar greenhouses. The most successful building styles (commonly referred to as “geometries”) integrate four basic
Ceres Greenhouses are designed to grow year-round Factors like day length, greenhouse temperature and grower experience will affect what types of plants thrive in your
The housing and construction markets are hitting new records every day. Houses are selling above asking price with multiple bidders, and construction material and labor
Pest and disease outbreaks in a greenhouse are a serious pain and can get out of hand if they aren’t addressed properly. Because this is
As much as cultivators wish they could predict what their outdoor growing season will be like, they are always at the mercy of Mother Nature.
Managing and balancing temperature and humidity in the greenhouse can be a source of frustration, further compounded by location, climate, greenhouse environmental control systems, and
A Ceres GAHT® (ground to air heat transfer) System is our patented geothermal climate control technology that has helped our growers maintain comfortable growing conditions,
Why an automated controller is better than a thermostat for your climate controlled greenhouse Ceres’ patented solar design and innovative climate control technologies enable us
Strawberries are a delectable fruit which makes them one of the most valuable fruits to grow. Out of season, they are almost impossible to find
BIM (Building Information Modeling) is a 3D modeling process used for design and construction in order to more accurately plan and build structures. At Ceres
Our data engineers have developed a comprehensive online tool that compares the energy savings of a Ceres sealed greenhouse against a traditional greenhouse design and an indoor
Once you have chosen a contractor, your involvement in the building process is far from over. There are several things that you should be diligent about
One of the most important aspects of building a greenhouse is hiring the right greenhouse construction contractors for the job. You want to make sure
Owning your own backyard greenhouse is an investment that can elevate your gardening experience beyond just providing a year-round growing space. A backyard greenhouse creates a slice
*While there is always something to learn from our blogs, we no longer design our facilities with Phase Change Material and we no longer supply
In the spring of 2017, the Ceres residential design team collaborated with a passionate environmental science professor at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania to integrate Soliculture photovoltaic roof panels into
Below is an excerpt from The Year Round Solar Greenhouse. We live in a plastic-laden age, so when it comes to choosing a material for a
With demand for local food continuing at a strong pace, a year-round greenhouse is often a good business venture. You can greatly improve your chances for a successful
A climate battery is a ground to air heat exchanger, which provides year-round heating and cooling of solar greenhouses and other structures using the thermal
Year round greenhouses, or even those used for season extension, face the challenge of extreme temperature swings. A greenhouse structure can collect excessive amounts of
What do I want to grow and when? In other words why do you want a greenhouse? This is the first question we start with
Whether gardening year-round in a greenhouse, or starting up an outdoor garden this spring, here’s a quick round-up of several ways to make your own raised garden
Unlike a house, an insulated year-round greenhouse doesn’t need a finished floor. Most of a greenhouse footprint is used as a planting area, which means
Even a well-designed solar greenhouse will overheat sometimes. This is because greenhouses are excellent solar collectors. While all that light is needed for growth, it often creates
Insulating the soil underneath your greenhouse is an essential (and easy) step for energy-efficient year-round growing. Here’s the basics. Often when building an energy-efficient greenhouse, people
Looking to design an aquaponics greenhouse? Here are some quick tips and strategies for making the most out of your greenhouse aquaponics investment. 1. Place
