There are two sources of inspiration for this week’s interview: one was Rebecca Kutzer-Rice’s article “Why and how we automated our flower greenhouses,” which you can read here. And the other is the 40hr Farmer live greenhouse coaching and video course, brought to you by Growing for Market and Orisha greenhouse automation (it’s also free for all GFM subscribers by the way- get the code to register from the home page when you log in). Now, The 40hr Farmer is currently an in-depth look at greenhouse tomato growing, but in the future we are going to expand it to other crops.

And since we know Rebecca knows about automating GH flower crops from her article, and that greenhouse flowers can be as profitable if not more so than greenhouse vegetables, we wanted to get her opinion on which flower crops would be most important to cover when we get to flowers. Listen to this interview to hear why Rebecca recommends ranunculus, snapdragons and lisianthus as some of the GH flower crops that might need their own courses, and why growers are so obsessed with their greenhouses. We also talk about the greenhouse set points for these crops, climate settings for reducing disease in flower crops in general, maximizing production, why sometimes it can actually be cheaper and more efficient to grow a crop hotter, and more.

Connect With Guest:

Website: moonshotfarm.com

Instagram: @moonshot_farm

Read Rebecca’s article from the February 2025 Growing for Market Magazine:

Why and how we automated our flower greenhouses

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Nifty Hoops builds complete gothic high tunnels that are easy to install and built to last. Their bolt-together construction makes setup straightforward and efficient, whether it's a small backyard hoophouse, or a dozen large production-scale high tunnels- especially through their community build option, where professional builders work alongside your crew, family, or neighbors to build each structure -- usually in a single day.Visit niftyhoops.com to learn more.

If you grow for market, you know performance is everything. That’s why so many farmers are turning to Burpee’s Farmers Market. Dedicated to professional growers, Burpee is now offering non-GMO seeds in larger quantities – bred and selected for standout flavor, strong yields, and the kind of visual appeal your customers crave. Burpee’s been doing this for 150 years, and they’re still creating new varieties with growers like you in mind. You can check out the full lineup at Burpee.com/FarmersMarket.

For more on veg and flower market farming, subscribe to Growing for Market Magazine!