Do you want to build a business growing strawberries? Find out how to do this and what difficulties may arise in this matter.
In season, strawberries literally fly off the shelves. The demand for this bright berry is growing every year. Year – round customer interest in this product provides a high return on investment . Incomes during cold periods increase several times. If you are thinking about growing strawberries for sale, then you can start with your own summer cottages. In this case, you do not need to have a large start-up capital, or deep knowledge.
Is it profitable to grow strawberries for sale
The quick payback of the strawberry business makes it attractive to beginner farmers. There are certain risks that can be minimized with a competent approach to the project. There are several ways to grow strawberries, and each of them has its own subtleties that you need to familiarize yourself with. The table below provides a general overview of the pros and cons of the strawberry business.
| pros | Minuses |
| year round demand | Competitors in the sale season |
| Big market | Foreign Importers |
| Quick payback of the project | Possible crop loss |
| Greenhouse cultivation in winter. | Large investments in the construction of greenhouses |
| High prices in winter | Frequent failures and equipment repairs |
| Minimum costs when growing outdoors | Large investments in energy resources in the winter with greenhouse cultivation |
Next, we will consider the risks and benefits for each type of cultivation separately.
Growing strawberries in open ground
In our climatic conditions, strawberries begin to bear fruit only towards the end of spring. At best, the season can last up to two months. It must also be taken into account that about 30% of seedlings die .
Growing strawberries in the open field requires a larger area under crops. This traditional method is the most common today. If you want to grow strawberries for sale, you can start in open ground.
Small summer cottages are quite suitable for this purpose. Planting and harvesting do not require deep knowledge . There is no need to think about additional costs for the construction of greenhouses. A small amount of the crop can be easily sold on the local market. Difficulties encountered in this project:
| pros | Minuses |
| Minimum investment (no additional costs for greenhouse equipment) | Short selling season, long crop care |
| Traditional technology (available literature) | Susceptibility to diseases, weeds, insects. |
| Excellent taste qualities (sweeter and juicier than greenhouse strawberries). Fast sale of goods. | Harvesting will require additional workers |
Important!
Seedlings must be protected from environmental influences. For this purpose, the ground coating method using agrofibre is used. This material, made on the basis of polypropylene, protects the crop from the scorching sun, precipitation, birds and insects. In the agricultural industry, it is widely used to stimulate crop growth.
A short video about planting strawberry seedlings in the open field:
Greenhouses for growing strawberries
If seasonal outdoor cultivation is not an option for you, or if you are considering a larger strawberry business, you can invest in building a strawberry greenhouse. One of the main advantages of greenhouse structures is the area occupied by the area for crops. Their use is also beneficial because the crop can be harvested throughout the year .
A remontant strawberry variety is perfect for greenhouse conditions. There are other varieties that are suitable for varieties of greenhouse cultivation. We will consider them below. General nuances that you need to pay attention to in the project:
| pros | Minuses |
| Year-round harvest | Significant investment in greenhouse construction |
| Weather protection | Foreign competitors in the market |
| High winter prices can quickly recoup large investments | Competition in the strawberry season |
| Wide market | Taste characteristics are inferior to strawberries in the open field |
Dutch technology for growing strawberries in bags
The Dutch technology for growing strawberries in bags is a vertical planting method. The main purpose of cultivation is to produce fruits all year round. In order to achieve this result, the bushes are planted every 2 months . The result is continuous strawberry production . For this, frozen seedlings are used, artificially hibernated.
You can buy expensive ready-made Frigo seedlings in agricultural stores. However, the freezing process can also be performed at home. It is necessary to dig up the highest quality autumn seedlings and literally cool them in a refrigerator, observing a temperature regime of at least minus 2C.
The main task is to introduce sprouts in a state of artificial hibernation and, if necessary, wake up and plant the plant again. Certain high-yielding varieties, such as Albion, are ideal for this growing method.
Planting takes place as follows: the substrate is laid out in long narrow plastic bags, then holes are made in the bags for seedlings. The space between the bushes provides large berries. Watering is carried out using tubular devices. Through them, the plants will receive the necessary dose of water with fertilizers.
The advantage of growing strawberries using the Dutch technology in bags is that you do not need to have special scientific knowledge or skills. It is only necessary to have the desire to succeed in this project and to devote enough time to maintain favorable greenhouse conditions.
Video about growing strawberries using Dutch technology:
Growing strawberries hydroponically
Growing strawberries hydroponically is very popular among farmers. This is another closed ground method. The essence of this method is that the plants do not feed on the soil, but on the nutrient solution . Containers with a solution are covered with a net, on which a thin layer of soil is laid out with a mixture of organic substrate. Bushes are planted in this substrate. Hydroponics is widespread in farms all over the world because it has a number of obvious advantages:
| pros | Minuses |
| You can hope for a faster strawberry harvest, because the plants receive nutrients directly from the organic substrate rich in minerals. | The composition of the solution must be carefully controlled |
| No need to water every day | Regular water level check |
| Complete absence of pests | Thorough check of the root system |
| No soil costs, easy transplanting | Maintaining the thermal regime |
| Sustainable end product grown without pesticides | Significant investments in the construction of greenhouses, structures, equipment, electricity |
Growing strawberries hydroponically is very popular among home gardeners. The structure can be built directly on the windowsillusing plastic containers. If necessary, you can purchase the necessary materials in specialized stores. Plants delight with their fruits throughout the year. If we consider hydroponics for growing strawberries for sale, then we cannot do without large-scale investments. It is also necessary to take into account competition from foreign importers who are firmly established in the domestic market.
Video about growing strawberries in hydroponics:
Trucars – growing strawberries in vertical beds
The development of hydroponics in agriculture has led to great interest in the use of vertical growing methods, which greatly reduce the area to be cultivated and have environmental benefits . Trucars are one way to grow strawberries vertically. The idea of ​​this device, ingenious in its simplicity, belongs to Alexander Naseychuk from the Leningrad Region.
Trucars look like pipes with holes – pockets where plants are planted. This is a kind of vertical beds. Watering is carried out by drip from top to bottom. In addition to significant space savings and ease of use, trukar greenhouses significantly increase the yield of strawberries. 90 seedlings can be planted in one trukar.
Video about growing strawberries in an apartment using vertical beds:
How and where to sell products
When all growing conditions are met, the strawberry crop will be large. You can stretch the season up to 3 months by planting strawberries of different varieties.
Sales of products can be carried out in various ways.
- Local grocery stores and shops . Sellers in the market.
- Supermarkets. Here, prices can be increased, but the search for a client who is ready to cooperate with you becomes more difficult.
- Open your own points of sale.
- Enterprises for the production of jams, jams.
- Ads in local print media, use social networks to promote goods.
It is important to keep in mind that the conclusion of the contract will relieve you of the difficulties during the marketing of products throughout the season.
Paperwork for business
Opening a strawberry business involves registering your activities. There are three ways to register.
- Registration of personal subsidiary plot. LPH does not allow you to hire workers, but there is no need to work on quality certificates. There are also restrictions on the sale of goods. Large volumes can only be given to persons reselling the goods. Legal organizations usually do not cooperate with representatives of household plots.
- Registration of a strawberry business in the form of individual entrepreneurship , in which you can enter into contracts with a legal entity. IP is like farms with an area of ​​​​up to 1 hectare. The agricultural tax is 6% of the total income.
- Registration of a peasant farm is suitable for entrepreneurs with a land area of ​​more than 1 hectare. Peasant farms also have to pay 6% of profits in favor of the unified agricultural tax.
How much money do you need to start a business
The amount of start-up capital and further business planning depends on the method of growing strawberries you have chosen and the planned scale of production. The construction of 1 hectare of a greenhouse can take up to 1,500 thousand rubles. If we consider a greenhouse for the production of strawberries using Dutch technologies in bags, we can proceed from the following calculations – equipping a room in 1 sq. m will require about 300 rubles.
It is necessary to invest up to two million rubles in the construction of a greenhouse for cultivation throughout the year. Investments in open ground are 10 times cheaper. Organizational issues related to the implementation of the product and the preliminary conclusion of contracts can be decisive in the success of your business.
The cost of the final product, production costs, price markup affect the profitability of the strawberry business. The cost depends on several factors:
- Premises for rent
- Wages for workers
- Transportation costs
- planting material
- Heating
- Irrigation
- Electricity
According to the results of an average estimate , the cost of growing strawberries is about 70-100 rubles per 1 kg . Growing with the Dutch method can help you reduce costs and keep costs down. In winter, the cost of strawberries can increase several times. Beginning farmers do not need to think about additional labor. With the expansion of the strawberry business, you can begin to expand the staff. Advice from experienced farmers will help you bypass common growing pitfalls and increase the yield of your crops.
Possible business risks
The high profitability and quick payback of the strawberry business makes it quite attractive for beginner farmers. The profitability of growing this berry for sale is obvious. But be aware of the possible associated risks.
- In greenhouse production in winter, you need to carefully develop a heating system, otherwise it threatens with a complete loss of the crop.
- Failure to comply with other production technologies also entails significant losses. Acquisition of infected seedlings, poor-quality fertilizers, improper use of the irrigation system and fertilizers.
- Foreign competitors in the domestic market. This factor can be circumvented by strategic marketing decisions. Entering into cooperation with industries that are not interested in imported products – restaurants, kindergartens, factories for the production of canned or frozen products, confectionery production  – can reduce this risk factor to zero.
- Reduced profitability due to rising energy prices. In the Russian market, the cultivation of year-round strawberries requires large expenditures on heating systems. Applications of the latest technologies, such as solar panels, can help reduce costs by up to 40%. Practice also shows that investing in biofuel technologies pays off already in the second or third year of operation, which subsequently leads to high competitiveness.
Conclusion
It is possible to build a profitable business growing strawberries even in your own summer cottage. The main task is to choose the right varieties, the use of fertilizers and the observance of technology for the care of plantings. The first experience can suggest in which direction to develop the strawberry business and assess the scale of investments in the construction of greenhouses for growing year-round strawberry varieties.
