While nothing new has happened to me in the process of growing green onions, I want to talk about the sale of finished products - the sale of onions. I’ll share how I sell onions, but I would really like to see a lot of comments directly from you on this post. Namely, how, where and in what way you hand over and sell the fruits of your labor - green onions, because the sale of green onions is the main stage of earning money for both a beginner and an experienced onion grower.
In the picture below, I sketched cartoons whose purpose is to sell onions, namely my description of my methods. There are three of them in the picture, but in fact I have four of them:
The first is, of course, wholesalers in wholesale markets buying and selling green onions;
The second is retail markets, where greens and, of course, green onions are sold directly to the end consumer;
The third is your own sale of green onions at the point of sale, be it a stall, a bazaar or a market counter;
The fourth is the workshops that pack green onions in supermarkets, hypermarkets, etc.
I will not deliberately describe the fourth source, because novice onion growers and onion growers with small volumes do not have the required mass of harvest to provide for these “free gluttons”, and those who have more serious batches of onions themselves know perfectly well what’s what and how much .
Photo: Selling onions
And so I’ll start telling you everything in order and where to sell onions from the most profitable source of sales.
The first and most profitable sale of onions occurs on your own in the retail, grocery market to the end consumer. I won’t say that I’m a fan of selling green onions in this way, I don’t like wasting time standing idle at the market, but when you have a little time it becomes a very profitable working condition. The main benefits of independent trading: you have to harvest less crops from the garden, the ability to control the price yourself, a markup of more than 300%, and of course the most “delicious” thing is potential clients in the form of local traders.
There are some tricks, I hope you understand that it is stupid to stand with a whole carload of one onion at the market, “distant” buyers will not understand correctly and will think that they stole it from a field somewhere :). Therefore, early in the morning I go to the wholesale store and buy 5 kg. dill, 5 kg. parsley, 2 kg. cilantro, 5 kg. lettuce and 10 bunches of regan. Well, now with this set of greens I am quite similar to an ordinary reseller. I lay out at the market, knit bundles of 60 grams, and indiscriminately include my products - green onions. At our market, the daily price of a stall costs 250 rubles, this is the amount I earn with dill and parsley, and from the sale of greens I compensate myself for the market lunch and the costs of depreciation and gasoline. I have a net income from my green onions. About 200 bunches of onions are sold per day. For clarity, I’ll give some numbers: 200 bunches of 60 grams = 12 kg. pen, I think at the lowest prices, I don’t take the shortage into account, everything turns out much nicer there. And so, 200 bunches for 15 rubles = 3000 rubles. To grow 12 kg. green onions, I need to plant 1 bag (35 kg) of turnips with a 30% yield. Purchased at a maximum price of 15 rubles/kg. a turnip will cost 525 rubles, plus 20% for forcing costs = 100 rubles, we get a total cost of -625 rubles.
Let's sum it up: revenue 3000 - expenses 625 = income 2375. Not bad, right? That's what I like!
But this is not the most profitable thing, the most profitable thing is communicating with the regular market traders; as a rule, they themselves stick with questions about who you are, where you are from and why you came here :) after all, not everyone will like a neighbor with 60 gram bunches of greenery at a price like theirs. To which I give the answer - “if you don’t want to see me here, pick up all the onions in the morning at the price at which you buy them at the wholesaler.” Voila, 95% of traders become my customers, the main task now is to monitor wholesale prices. They like that green onions are fresh, vigorous and delivered to their location on call. They willingly pay for this service. A little advice, don’t disappear from the market right away, come to sell onions at the market for a while with an ironclad alibi - “that’s how I sell MY greens, when I only have onions left, then I’ll start bringing them to you,” build up your price, you will give understand that if they start to get impudent, you will be happy to become their neighbor again and your sale of onions will be more profitable :). I had cases when, out of anger, they bought parsley and dill from me and everything that was under my counter.
The second most profitable source of onion sales is the same food market traders that I wrote about above. Initially, I established contact with them early in the morning. As a rule, from 5 am, all the agricultural producers who do not want to sell their goods in bulk at low prices are working around the market. It turns out to be a kind of mini wholesale near the market for lazy retail traders. I think this is the case in every region. Believe me, it works, but it’s not very profitable. The disadvantages are that you have to get up very early and go there, there are a lot of people just like you, and the worst thing is that there is no fact of a complete sale, you can be left with half the goods in your hands which then have nowhere to put them. You won’t have any luck at wholesale because you don’t have enough and they’ll send you away; at retail you won’t be able to get by with just one onion. Therefore, the strategy described above probably works in the first source of onion sales. This way I have a better chance of winning the jackpot wisely. But still, for this sale of green onions, I pack the onions in newspaper, 1 kg each. I put 15-20 packs in a banana jar while standing. At most I sold 3 bananas in the morning. Among the advantages, I note that there is less waste of time, less harvest to harvest than in bulk and a slightly higher price. Wholesalers in my city charge 30-70%, I charge 50% of the wholesale price. Under these conditions, you can sell onions to shops, cafes, canteens, etc.
Well, the third source is a wholesaler on the wholesale market. This is a harvester that “eats” anything and everything. A person, as a rule, is not always pleasant and thirsty for you…. bend 🙂 for the price. To be honest, I am immune to them (I said this in one of my videos), and I wish the same for you. I get a thrill looking at them when we can’t agree and they find out that my car has the option “be careful, the trunk is closing.” A little advice to beginners, don’t shake, don’t worry, don’t get lost, stand your ground, I assure you that your products are in demand at any time of the year, because people eat every day, and no more than 10 people in your city or suburb grow onions. Yes, they may have larger volumes, but no one has yet canceled the quality; the larger the volume of onions, the weaker the control, the less profitable the sale of onions. That's how I got started with wholesalers.
It’s winter, it’s cold, the onions are growing, there’s a week until harvest. I stop by the wholesale store and we have a whole row of greens there. I’ll say right away that by nature I’m a little arrogant and boorish, but I always reciprocate, so to speak, I’m not like that out of the blue. I go into the roller shutter stall closest to the entrance, there is a girl sitting there and she is clearly cold, I start a dialogue:
Me - good afternoon, do you buy green onions?
She is 50 rubles a kilogram.
I - no, 110 and deal.
She - are you bad at math?
I - yes, I was joking 🙂 I’m satisfied with your price, let’s go.
Where is she going?
I’m like, where are you going, for green onions, I told you that I’m offering onions.
She - where is he?
I am growing in a greenhouse, waiting for you.
She - I mean..?
I’m straight, I cut at 110, and at 50 I’m satisfied, but you cut it yourself.
She is piping piping...
She is piping piping...
In short, I laughed further and left her, moving on. By the way, my mood really lifted after this lady. I go into the next pavilion, there is an elderly woman of Caucasian appearance sitting, by the way, she turned out to be more adequate:
Hello, take the onion:
She - yes, of course, show me.
I don’t have it with me, I’ve already sold everything, but I wasn’t very happy with the price, and now I’m looking for a nicer buyer for next week (I had to improvise)
She’ll give you 70 rubles per kg, 8 rubles if you have bunches.
I didn’t, I only paid 70 each and I say the price wasn’t very good for me, I have kilograms packed in newspaper.
She - take it if it's a good bow. I'll take 90.
I went to a couple more stalls, but it was the same everywhere. In the last place I didn’t even get out of the car, I opened the window and said:
I - how much will you take the onion?
She is no more than 90.
I - I’ll take 130 to your clients to the market now, I won’t give less than 110, if you want, call (I wrote her contact details).
Dry, arrogant, but they got it, their ceiling that day was 90 rubles and so they tried to throw me the amount :)
And what do you think, three days later the call, she called and ordered 80 kg. onions 110 each, but I’m not a fool, they already ordered 120 for me 🙂 🙂 🙂 so I’m sorry I won’t have time to cut it for you, and the trump expected answer, God be with you, bring it for 120, I’ll take it all.
There is only one conclusion, we are all human and want to make money on onions. But you won’t be able to play with them like this if you have a trunk full of already packed onions, there’s no point in taking them back. Therefore, guys, don’t be lazy, break the soil in advance, and sell onions in bulk only when there is a lot of it, and you don’t want to stand at the market. When you yourself get involved in this activity, you will understand that selling onions is not only profitable, but also exciting.
Thank you for your attention, I look forward to your strategy for selling green onions in the comments. Don't forget to share your note on social networks.
Growing green onions at home - home business idea: technology for growing green onions indoors, detailed description.
.The market price of green onions in the period from October to April reaches 300 - 400 rubles per kilogram; growing onions for sale is profitable, you can see this by reading this article.
Planting onions can be purchased in the fall for 8 - 10 rubles per kilogram. The yield of green onions is 50% of the planting weight; when planting onions with an area of 10 m², the planting material will be about 150 kg of bulbs.
In 20 days you will receive about 70 kg of green feathers, the profit will be about 10,000 rubles if sold wholesale, or 20,000 if sold at retail. And this is with 10 m² of landing area; when placing racks in two or three tiers, you can use a very small room.
Technology for growing green onions.
1. Premises.
For growing onions, you can use any room that can maintain a temperature of about +15 degrees; the ideal option would be a heated greenhouse, but you can use a garage, basement or utility room.
2. Planting material.
It is advisable to purchase onions in September, when their cost is minimal. Purchasing can be carried out at vegetable bases or farms. Not all onions are suitable for forcing to be harvested; to find out their suitability, you need to cut a couple of onions; if there are several cobs in the onion, you can buy this onion; if there is only one cob, this planting material is not suitable.
3. Arrangement of the premises.
If you use a garage as a room, then it is advisable to additionally insulate it; you can use polystyrene foam or flexible insulation. It is more expedient to grow onions on collapsible racks, which can be made of wood. The racks are shallow boxes covered with oilcloth, the height between the racks is 60 - 70 cm. It is not advisable to do less, the length of the onion feather reaches 50 cm.
For lighting, you can use ordinary light bulbs, but fluorescent lamps are preferable - the onion feather turns out dark green.
4.Planting and cultivation.
The racks are covered with a 5 cm layer of soil. Sand or a 1:1 mixture of sand and earth can be used as soil. Before planting, the bulbs are trimmed by cutting off the neck with pruning shears, then planted tightly, lightly sticking them into the soil. After planting, water the soil; the soil should be wet, but there should be no standing water, otherwise the bulbs may rot.
The growth rate of onion feathers depends on the room temperature:
- 25C° - after 17 days,
- 22C° - after 22 days,
- 20C ° - after 20 days,
- 17C° - in 26 days,
- 12C° - after 28 days.
The onion harvest is harvested when the feather reaches a height of 35–45 cm.
The bulbs are peeled with a knife, the root is cut off. Onion feathers are collected in bunches of 70 - 80 grams, tied with thread or rubber band and placed in cardboard boxes. Onions are ready for sale!
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The business is attractive due to the plant’s fertility, modest start-up investments, and great demand all year round. If you master all the intricacies of growing green onions and the features of their marketing, you can build a profitable business on this.
How to grow green onions
If your plan includes growing commercial-scale green onions, be prepared to do so year-round. In summer, it is cultivated in the fields, and in winter - in a heated greenhouse. Please note that it is expensive to install and maintain a greenhouse yourself. It’s easier to rent specially equipped premises from farms and factories, or equip it yourself. Profitability in winter is about 30%, since a lot of money is spent on heating in the greenhouse and rent. In summer it reaches 50%. Although in practice it is sometimes possible to reach 200%.
You can grow green onions at home only for a small part-time job. If you are planning to organize a separate business, you need to purchase or rent a plot of approximately 25-30 acres. Growing green onions begins by planting the seeds after the last frost. It is better to take seeds from Japan or Holland. The bulbs are planted in a greenhouse before winter.
Whatever method you choose, you need to take care of preparing the beds and fertilizing them. For a greenhouse you will need loose soil and superphosphate at the rate of 30 g per 1 square meter. m. Before planting, onion seeds must first be soaked. Onions are planted in a greenhouse or in open ground in ribbons at a distance of approximately 5 cm from each other and between rows. Green onions require a lot of light, frequent watering and loosening of the soil. This work plan must be carried out regularly and extremely carefully.
If you decide to grow green onions at home, the bulbs should be soaked overnight in warm water and then planted in boxes about 10 cm high. To increase the growth rate of the green plant, it should be watered with warm water not lower than 20 ° C, and the air temperature should be maintained at approximately 18-22°C.
The plant reaches marketability in about 20 days. But when using aeroponics technology, this time can be reduced. This system helps eliminate the disposal of substrates and other waste during cultivation, but the savings are noticeable only in large areas of the greenhouse. The cost of such a system is 1-4 thousand rubles. per square meter. The payback period plan is 2-3 years.
What to grow green goods for sale from
It doesn’t matter where you decide to start producing green goods - in a field, a greenhouse or at home - you can do this in three ways: growing from seeds, small bulbs (sets) or large ones. The fastest way to get results from a green business is from seeding, if before planting it was carefully sorted, processed and properly cared for. The main problem in growing this plant is diseases and premature bolting. Therefore, the growth site must be well ventilated and illuminated. In addition, the cost plan must include the purchase of chemicals for treating plants. Without them, growing greens in artificial conditions will become unprofitable - most of the crop will simply die.
Growing from seeds requires three times less planting material and four times less area. True, for better productivity, seedlings must be thinned out during growth, which increases the losses of the green business. Moreover, not every seed will germinate. But this type of green plant practically does not shoot, ripens quickly and does not rot for a long time, which makes it easier to store, allowing you to earn extra money from the bulbs.
Expenditure part of green business
Fixed funds will be spent on planting material, care, fertilizers, and transport. This will be about 30% of the costs. Entry into a business costs about 150 thousand rubles if you have your own site with a water supply installed on it. If you plan to grow for sale in large quantities, you should worry about green product certification.
It is best to organize a business in the fall. You must first conduct a market assessment to get an idea of the volume of demand. Based on these data, determine a plan for growing a green plant. If it is difficult to determine how much of a product can be sold, it is better to grow less than the expected sales volume. You will always have time to increase production.
From 10 acres of land, the production of this green product will bring 30-90 thousand rubles per month. Additional cultivation of other popular green raw materials will help increase the sale of feathers:
- dill;
- parsley;
- basilica;
- arugula;
- mint;
- salad;
- cilantro.
It is difficult to say how much money will be spent on opening a business. It all depends on the type and scale of cultivation. If your plan involves cultivating a product in a greenhouse, a significant amount will be spent on its arrangement. You can reduce costs if you cover it not with glass, but with polycarbonate. This material better maintains the desired temperature in the greenhouse in winter.
The plan for organizing a large business must include the purchase or rental of premises or fields. Many entrepreneurs who decide to cultivate vegetables in a greenhouse rent production space in factories. Of these, approximately half are designated for harvest, and the rest for storage and household premises. The following are installed in this area:
- instantaneous water heaters;
- lifts;
- furnaces for heating water;
- ultraviolet lamps and fluorescent lamps.
For a month from 70 sq. m. you can remove an average of 400 kilograms of feathers. Depending on the season, the cost of a kilogram of greens will be 10-160 rubles.
Sales and risks
Sales depend on production volumes. It can be organized in two ways: through wholesalers or directly at retail - shops, supermarkets, stalls, markets, catering establishments, etc. The packaging of the goods also depends on the type of sales. If this is retail sales, you should think about special packaging and appropriate equipment. In summer, wholesalers buy goods for 30-50 rubles. per kilogram, in winter this figure rises to 100. Sales of goods by medium-sized enterprises are approximately 1.5 kg of goods per month.
The main risks come from the floating price of goods. Over the course of a year, it rises and falls significantly. In addition, feathers are a perishable commodity. Therefore, if you do not have a sales plan drawn up in advance, you can lose a lot of money.
Growing green onions is a universal activity and possible even with minimal investment. The profitability of a business directly depends on the volume of plants produced, and onions can be grown almost anywhere: on a windowsill in a residential building, in a greenhouse, in a garage, in a basement.
Technology for growing green onions - what kind of room should there be for growing green onions?
Growing onions, as well as, in closed equipped premises guarantees year-round income. In this case, human participation in the process is reduced to the simplest actions: primary processing of raw materials and collection of greenery.
Despite the unpretentiousness of the plant, general growing recommendations should still be followed. This will reduce time costs and get a good harvest.
There are three characteristics that determine ideal conditions for the growth of green onions:
- Comfortable air temperature.
- Sufficient room lighting.
- High-quality soil irrigation.
The size of the business premises is also important, which affects the volume of products produced.
The room must be dry, not infected with mold or fungi and, if possible, light.
Here are possible room options for growing green onions:
- Greenhouse
The simplest summer greenhouse is made of a wooden frame, which is covered on top with a thick plastic film. You can assemble such a structure yourself using available materials and tools.
In the warm season, greenhouses and greenhouses do not require additional lighting or heating. Natural air temperature and sunlight will be sufficient for plant growth.
Growing green onions in a greenhouse is the most environmentally friendly way, since such conditions are as close as possible to natural ones.
- Basement and garage
An alternative to a greenhouse can be a basement or garage. However, these premises require additional preparation. The first step is to insulate them. The materials used are safe thermal insulators, for example, based on polyethylene foam or polystyrene foam.
The next stage is the installation of shelving. They can be purchased ready-made or made independently, for example, from wood. If necessary, such racks are disassembled and transported to a new location.
A good design for long-term use should be metal, for example, welded from a profile or pipes. Naturally, it will require more significant investments.
Growing green onions in a basement or garage requires the creation of the following favorable conditions:
- Heating . For maximum onion growth, it is necessary to maintain a temperature range from +18 to +22 °C. Any devices can be used as heaters, but it is worth remembering that electrical devices will require significant energy costs;
- Lighting . The brighter the light in the room, the richer the color of the onion feather. Therefore, if possible, the room should be equipped with fluorescent lamps;
- Ventilation . The air in the basement or garage must be constantly circulated. It is advisable not just to install internal fans, but to organize the supply of fresh air from the street. This will give the plants a more comfortable environment and prevent the development of mold and mildew indoors.
- Windowsill
The easiest way to grow onions is on a windowsill. A loggia is well suited for this. In the summer, no additional tricks will be needed, but in the winter, the loggia should be insulated and glazed. If the windows face north, you can arrange artificial lighting.
With good lighting and air temperatures from +23 to +27, green onions will grow 30 cm in approximately 2-2.5 weeks.
How to properly grow green onions for sale - features of planting material for growing green onions
Almost anything can be used as planting material: soil, sand, sawdust. There are options in which onions grow without soil and feed exclusively on water. This method is called hydroponics.
- Earth and sand
This is the standard planting base for the plant. If you grow onions in a greenhouse on a plot of land, it is recommended to fertilize and loosen the soil.
Flaw: In all other cases, you will need to purchase special mixtures. The soil should be universal and have an acidity of 6 to 7 ph.
- Sawdust
Sawdust is a cheap material. Their main property is looseness and the ability to retain moisture. However, this environmental material does not contain nutrients, so additional mineral fertilizers will be needed.
Plants planted in sawdust will not require too frequent watering. When cut, ripe green onions will remain clean (unlike those growing in soil mixture).
Sawdust has one drawback – with prolonged use, they begin to rot, and mixed with the remains of onion roots, they turn into compost and require replacement.
Growing green onions hydroponically assumes that the plant will be fed not from the soil, but thanks to the circulating medium supplied to the roots. This medium can be based on water or a solid porous substance that has excellent moisture retention and good air permeability.
Coconut fiber is ideal as a substrate. It is absolutely natural, capable of swelling greatly and accumulating water, while allowing air to pass through.
The system for planting onions must contain channels filled with a solid substrate or blown with an air-nutrient mixture. The bulbs are placed in these channels. As needed, an aqueous solution rich in minerals is released through the ducts.
The order of placing hydroponic layers is as follows:
- Onion roots.
- Organic substrate.
- Net.
- Nutrient solution.
The most important aspect of this growing method is high-quality aeration (air saturation) of the roots. Therefore, the mesh and nutrient solution should be placed at a distance of about 5 cm from each other.
The yield of onions growing hydroponically will be higher, and the cost of purchasing planting materials will be lower.
Equipment and appliances for growing green onions indoors
Growing onions for greens can be made as simple and convenient as possible by using various devices. For example, use professional phytolamps that stimulate plant growth as a source of artificial light.
Drip irrigation systems are perfect for watering onions in greenhouses. With their help, water consumption is noticeably reduced, and the liquid itself is evenly distributed throughout the planted area.
There are entire installations designed in the form of racks, into which light sources and containers for soil are built. Such equipment is already ready for use; all that remains is to place onions in it and water it until the harvest is obtained.
There are commercially available hydroponic systems that work as follows:
- On the water.
- On the substrate.
- On aeroponics (air).
This equipment can be used immediately; all that is needed is to purchase the raw materials and prepare the nutrient mixture.
Planting and growing green onions on a feather - how to grow green onions in winter?
Green onions can be successfully produced at any time of the year. However, this will entail considerable additional investments - at a minimum, you will need to organize heating and lighting. Even if you use a garage or basement for business, in which it is already necessary to install sources of artificial light, you will need heating devices.
If the volumes in the soil are relatively small, you can pre-treat the onions before planting. This will speed up the germination process several times.
The procedure is:
- The bulbs are placed in a container and completely filled with cold water.
- After one hour, all the water is drained.
- Planting in the ground is carried out within a day.
To grow green onions in a greenhouse in winter, you should pay attention to the quality of the structure and organize favorable conditions inside it.
If you plan to run a business for the long term, it is advisable to build a greenhouse thoroughly:
- The frame is made of metal or durable wooden profile.
- Make the base of the greenhouse.
- Coat all floors and structures with paint or primer.
- Cover the greenhouse with durable polycarbonate film.
The growth rate of green onions directly depends on the ambient or room temperature:
- At 12C ° Onions ripen for about four weeks.
- At 17C ° – about 26 days.
- At 20C ° – about 22 days.
- At 22C ° – about 20 days.
- At 25C ° – about 2.5 weeks.
It is better to grow green onions in the cold season using winter and frost-resistant plant varieties. They adapt better to lower temperatures and will be able to produce higher yields under less favorable conditions.
Is winter and summer cultivation of green onions profitable - the real reasons for selling an onion growing business
This business is considered quite profitable, but there are always parameters that can greatly influence profitability. Naturally, due to the unequal amount of mandatory expenses, summer and winter onion cultivation has noticeable differences.
In summer:
- In the greenhouse – plants develop only due to sunlight. Auxiliary sources of heat and light are not needed.
- In the basement and garage – heating devices are either not required at all or must operate at minimum power (for example, in a cold basement).
- On the windowsill – Green onions grow on their own using sunlight. The room temperature does not need to be adjusted.
In winter:
- In the greenhouse – the structure itself must be made of more expensive and durable materials. Inside the greenhouse you need to create a comfortable microclimate using additional sources of heat and sometimes light.
- In the basement and garage – higher quality thermal insulation materials may be required. You also cannot do without heating devices.
- On the windowsill – if you use a loggia for growing onions, it will need to be glazed, insulated and, possibly, heated.
During the cold season, the market value of green onions increases, which compensates for the necessary expenses. An undoubted advantage is the possibility of longer storage of already cut greens. Not every activity is necessarily successful.
There are a number of reasons that may hinder the development of the business and prompt the owner to think about selling the business:
- Lack of personal vehicles . If onions are grown in a greenhouse outside the city, and for marketing they need to be transported, one passenger car will not be enough. In this case, it is appropriate to use a small cargo transport, since the harvest volumes can be impressive, and the greens must retain their presentation and not be wrinkled. If there is no opportunity to purchase a vehicle, doing business can be very difficult.
- Unprofitability . Growing onions in winter entails another cost item - lighting and heating. If your greenhouse, garage, or basement is located in an inconvenient location or in an area with high energy rates, the cost of maintaining the desired temperature can have a significant impact on your profit margins.
- Increase in price of raw materials . In a lean year, the price of onions increases greatly, which adversely affects the cost of green products.
- Lack of market . Not every green onion producer has its own retail outlet for selling the grown product. Very often, finished products are sold in bulk at prices 1.5-2 times lower than retail prices. If supply exceeds demand, the purchase price may be reduced to an unacceptable minimum, making the business unprofitable.
Real business plan for growing green onions for sale
All initial potential costs can be divided into three categories:
- Purchase or rental of premises/land.
- Improvement of the premises (construction, insulation).
- Technical equipment (racks, instruments, installations, containers).
These costs are in addition to regular expenses:
- For the purchase of raw materials (bulbs, mineral fertilizers, water).
- For transportation of finished products.
- To maintain the necessary microclimate (lighting, heating, ventilation).
- For workers' wages.
Not all points are mandatory, since the premises for growing onions may be owned, and additional labor will not be needed.
Business advantages:
- Unpretentiousness to conditions and rapid plant growth.
- Minimum financial investment.
- Fast payback for small volumes.
Example of a business plan for growing onions in a greenhouse:
| Name | Options |
| Land area | 100 sq. m. |
| Effective area | 75 sq.m. |
| Average growth period of green onions | 3 weeks (21 days) |
| Volume of grown products for 1 month | 350 – 550 kg green feathers |
| Wholesale cost of planting material | 8 RUR/1 kg |
| Cost of 1 kg of green feather | from 10 to 60 rub. |
| Possible losses of green crops (due to climate, weather, etc.) | 30% |
| Wholesale cost of selling 1 kg of onions in summer | 30 - 50 rub. |
| Wholesale cost of selling 1 kg of onions in winter | 200 rub. |
| Amount of onions sold per day by large producers | 1000 – 3000 kg |
| Amount of onions sold per month by average producers | 1500 kg |
| The amount of starting capital required to start a business | 100 – 150 thousand rubles. |
| The amount of monthly profit at the very beginning of the business when using an area of 75 sq.m. | 20 thousand rubles. |
| Monthly profit for growing 3000 kg of onions per month | 150 thousand rubles. |
The profitability of a business for growing onions in a greenhouse is about 30% in winter and more than 50% in the warm season
This difference is explained by the costs of heating and renting a greenhouse. Depending on the scope of the activity, a business can pay for itself in a period of several months to several years.
Forcing onions onto a feather is not difficult. Many people even do this on their windowsills. And those who grow green onions for the market do it in their own gardens. In the spring, the market is full of this onion, and its price is not high. But closer to August, in the very heat of summer, when you want okrosheka, for which green onions are so necessary, you just can’t find a good onion. In some places they sell spring onions or leeks, but that’s not it. The feather is usually rough, thick, and not attractive. And the bunches are so small that they can’t even be called bunches. And they take it mainly because there is nothing better on the market at this time.
This is exactly the moment when good green onions are at the highest price, and you can sell as much of it as you like, since there is no competition at all. Small traders are especially willing to buy it in small wholesale quantities. How not to take advantage of such a situation? But how to grow good green onions by this time? If it were simple, many would do it, and the market would be full of green onions during this period.
For many years now, every year I have been growing green onions by this time. How can I do this? And the secret is to choose onions suitable for forcing at this particular time. Onions, which are usually forced for harvest in the spring, are not suitable for forcing at this time, and other onions (leeks, batun) do not provide the required quality. But there is also such a type of onion as multi-tiered onion. This is exactly what it is ideal for these purposes. Why?
Firstly, because precisely at the time of setting for forcing (early July), the bulbs of this onion are just in time for this period.
Secondly, this onion does not have a rest period, i.e. it can grow at any time of the year: (winter, spring, summer and autumn).
Thirdly, this onion is very winter-hardy; it does not need to be stored.
Fourthly, it reproduces well by aerial bulbs, which ripen by the beginning of July, and they can be immediately planted in the ground after harvesting.
What does my technology for forcing this onion into a feather look like?
Starting in July, I dig up the required amount of onions. I collect aerial bulbs and plant them in the ground (you can plant them later, up to October). I remove the tops, cut off the onion roots and soak the resulting bulbs for a day or two in a bucket of water (then they germinate faster), then plant them in boxes with sawdust close to each other. It can also be planted in open ground. All. Now care consists of regular watering. You can feed it 2-3 times, preferably with organic matter. Then the feather will be of the highest class, but it can be done without additional feeding. If you want to get a longer feather, you can place the boxes in the shade or partial shade. But if the feather is very long, then it can lie down.
In about three weeks the harvest will be ready.
Usually I don’t put this onion for forcing all at once, but in stages (I get tired of tying onions in bunches when there are a lot of them). I sell (usually along with other goods) during the hottest period from the end of July to the end of August, when the price and demand for it are the highest. And then the heat subsides, demand drops, and competitors appear on the market.
I would be glad if this information is useful to anyone in building their own mini-business on a summer cottage.