Mar 16, 2016

Emerald Coast Growers Expands

Emerald Coast Growers announced the expansion of its Milton, Florida, greenhouse operation.

“This space will increase our capacity and allow us to add new varieties while increasing availability on current varieties,” Josiah Raymer, general manager, said.

Improvements to the Florida Panhandle growing space will deliver in increased energy efficiency, reduced labor and increased flexibility in growing conditions for different crops, the company said.

Completed in early 2016, the new Atlas gutter-connected double-poly range is 36,864 sq. ft., bringing Emerald Coast Growers’ total growing area under cover to more than 500,000 sq. ft.

The new facility will be used primarily for tender grass production such as Rubrum and holds more than 19,000 trays, the company said.

“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 said.

It is equipped with separate interval mist and irrigation systems throughout. LED lighting used draws approximately 10 percent of the power when compared to HPS lighting of similar light intensity, according to the company. Hired Hand propane heaters are installed as two separate systems for redundancy in case of failure.

For more information or to order products, visit the Emerald Coast Growers website.