Greenhouse Business in Georgia — What to Grow, Where to Sell, How to Start

Greenhouse farming is a profitable business in Georgia if you get three things right: what to grow, when to reach the market, and how much you spend on heating. A greenhouse's core economic advantage is season management — you sell produce when open-field harvests are absent from the market and prices are at their peak. You don't need large capital to start: materials for a small DIY greenhouse cost ≈2,711 GEL, materials for a 400 m² film greenhouse ≈8,500 GEL, and turnkey construction with film costs 75–85 GEL/m². On top of that, state co-financing covers 50% of the cost. Below we go step by step: what to grow, where to sell, and how to start.

What to grow in a greenhouse for the Georgian market

As FAO observes, in Mediterranean countries — with a climate similar to Georgia's — it was greenhouses that made year-round market supply possible. The University of Georgia (UGA) manual adds: a greenhouse is a season-management tool — you start work in early spring, keep warmth through winter, and comfortably grow warm-climate plants. For a Georgian farmer this translates into three main directions — plus a fourth one that is often forgotten:

• Heat-loving vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers and similar crops) — reaching the market before the open-field season starts and after it ends, when prices are high
• Frost-hardy crops (herbs, leafy greens) — for the winter months the manual recommends exactly this: frost-hardy production tolerates a much lower temperature regime and keeps heating costs to a minimum
• Seedling production — seedlings raised in early spring in a hotbed or cold frame sell to neighbouring farmers and supply your own greenhouse
• Diversification — the manual's introduction itself teaches production diversity: combining several crops and seasons reduces the risk of depending on a single market

Where to sell the harvest

Plan your sales channel before the harvest comes in — that is one of the core rules of greenhouse business. For a small or mid-sized farmer the realistic channels are:

• The local farmers' market — the simplest starting channel: minimal barriers, you control the price yourself, but it takes your time
• Wholesale / resellers — saves time on large volumes, in exchange for a lower price
• Direct orders — neighbours, social media, pre-agreed deals: this is where the best price is made
• Shops, restaurants, hotels — steady volumes, but with quality and regular-delivery requirements
• Cooperation — joining forces strengthens farmers' bargaining position and lets them share costs; on top of that, the state supports cooperatives and women farmers with a separate grant programme — up to 90% co-financing of a small family greenhouse in specific municipalities

Seasonality and price windows

The whole logic of greenhouse business rests on price windows: income peaks when little local produce is on the market — late autumn, winter and early spring. But that is exactly when costs rise too: according to the manual, energy is the greenhouse owner's third-largest expense after labour and seeds/seedlings, often exceeding 10% of sales revenue, and 70–80% of energy costs go to heating. So before entering the winter window, make sure the high price outweighs the heating bill — or choose an energy-saving route:

• An unheated high tunnel — for the spring and autumn windows, daily solar energy alone is enough
• Double inflated film — cuts heat loss by 30–40%
• Root-zone heating — you heat the roots directly instead of the air and save 20–30% of fuel
• Thermal screens — cut heating energy by 30–50%; details in the heating and energy efficiency article
• East–west orientation for winter production — the low winter sun warms the long south wall all day; we cover site selection in a separate article

Starting investment: two real budgets

The manual contains two real DIY bills of materials at 2026 market prices — they illustrate the starting scales of the business well:

• Project A — a 400 m² (10×40 m) steel arch film greenhouse: materials ≈8,500 GEL (≈21–25 GEL/m²), including drip irrigation and side ventilation — a starting size for commercial production
• Project B — a 17.3 m² wooden gable polycarbonate greenhouse: materials ≈2,711 GEL (≈150–160 GEL/m²) — a format for family production and trying out the seedling business
• Turnkey construction: 75–85 GEL/m² with film, 200–250 GEL/m² with polycarbonate — with design, installation and handover; details on the greenhouse construction page

Always add 15% for unforeseen expenses to the budget — the manual's own readiness checklist requires it. A full price breakdown — from structure to film — is in a separate article: how much a greenhouse costs.

Co-financing: the state covers half the cost

State co-financing covers 50% of greenhouse construction costs — the conditions and application process are described in detail on the agro co-financing page. The manual points to further programmes as well: under the new agro co-financing programme, the application and business plan first go to the Rural Development Agency (RDA), and only after approval do you go to the bank — the loan interest is subsidised. The 'Plant the Future' programme finances 50% of a drip irrigation system (up to 5,000 GEL per hectare) — we have a separate article on irrigation: irrigation systems and soil. Registration in the farmers' registry is mandatory for participation.

How to start: the business checklist

Frequently asked questions