The Greenhouse Feasibility Guide for the Northwest Territories aims to ensure that growers in the NWT have the tools to evaluate the feasibility of a commercial greenhouse and gather the necessary information before investing the immense time and resources that commercial growing requires. It is meant for intermediate and expert growers who have the skills necessary to start growing on a large, commercial scale.
It is designed to be used from start to finish, starting with assessing community readiness, then considering greenhouse design considerations and ending with accounting for costs and revenues. After working through it, you may find that your greenhouse is more expensive or less productive than you had hoped - at this point, you can go back through the document and adjust inputs throughout the document to improve the feasibility of your plan. The guide is divided into three main sections: community readiness, design planning and accounting.
Community Readiness
This community readiness assessment is designed to help you get a sense of the market for greenhouse products in your community. The goal is to gain information about your potential customers, find out which crops are in demand, and determine where you will be selling your product.
Design Planning
This section will help you consider the feasibility implications of your design decisions. It reviews topics like crop planning, units per week, market considerations, selecting a harvest date, planning for units per week, harvest projections, space requirements including growing area and space for seedlings. It also includes a seed tray planning chart and growing area chart.
Accounting
You will explore the core business and accounting concepts you will need to determine if your greenhouse is financially feasible. Use this section to work through, revise and refine your design choices before you have committed any funds to the venture. This section will help you identify and calculate estimates of your costs, then determine whether the expected revenue from selling your crop will cover your costs.
