Seedling nursery · Sahara Farms · Zambia
Which nursery size?
One greenhouse design in three sizes, built on the farm's existing water, power and security. Pick one to see its costs and design. Prices are in US dollars, excluding VAT.
Each budget covers anchors, frame, film and nets, benches, irrigation, the farm tie-ins, germination kit, hardening area, trays and start-up equipment, with 3% fees and 10% contingency.
Option 2 of 3 · SF-720
Commercial
Bill of quantities.
Indicative supply-and-install rates for Zambia, October 2026, not quotations. Open a bill to see and change its rates; totals follow.
Fees, contingency, VAT and exchange rate
Options, priced but not included
Plan and section.
Ridges run north–south for even light; the long walls face the east to south-east winds so the roll-up sides cross-ventilate. Trays move one way: farm store, benches, hardening area.
Built on what the farm already has.
Water and power come from the farm through one trench. A farm store becomes the germination room and a farm shed is used for sowing.
Already on the farm
What the budget adds
What the farm needs to confirm
Do we need concrete?
No brick, no block and no concrete by default.
Every column stands on a galvanised helical ground screw, driven by machine in minutes. The floor is ground cover with gravel walkways, the film skirt is buried with rodent mesh, and the tank and pump sit on compacted gravel. Nothing has to cure, and the nursery can be moved later.
Where the money goes.
Measured works by cost group, before fees and contingency. Trays and benches set how many seedlings the nursery holds, so they are a large share.
Build programme.
Order film and net 8–10 weeks ahead; both are imported. Build between May and October and finish before the November rains. Green bars are the critical path through the frame.
How the greenhouse compares with suppliers.
Frame and cover only, in US dollars per m², against published prices from suppliers selling into Zambia. Zambian suppliers, Holland Greentech included, quote on request.
Holland Greentech Zambia
Lusaka, Plot 2631 off Munali Road, 096 314 0424. Low-tech greenhouses (8 × 30 m, 14 × 36 m) and high-tech multi-span houses (40 × 38.4 m, 60 × 40 m) with Quinta; 200 µm film, white 40-mesh net, 45–50% shade net. Prices by quotation only. Ask them to price this bill line by line, with 50-mesh net in place of 40-mesh.
Why it costs more than a basic tunnel
- 4.0 m to the gutter, so October heat rises above the seedlings.
- 50-mesh net on every opening, with roll-up film sides.
- Hot-dip galvanised and bolted, not painted mild steel.
- Ground screws, a double-door entry and erection included.
How it runs, and what we assumed.
Mix and sow
Farm shedMedia on a clean table, vacuum seeder, 200-cavity trays labelled with variety, batch and date.
Germinate
Farm store, insulated2–5 days, dark, 24–26 °C and 90–95% humidity.
Grow, harden, dispatch
Greenhouse and shade area3–5 weeks on benches, 5–10 days under 40% net, then out to the fields.
Assumptions
- Level, firm ground within the tie-in distances for each size.
- 200-cavity trays at 4.2 per m² of bench, 8 turns a year, 85% bench use and 90% saleable plants; about 30,000 transplants plant a hectare.
- Indicative October 2026 rates in US$. Kwacha at K19.40, rand at R16.30, shilling at KES 129.5 to the dollar.
- Farm labour digs trenches; the farm tractor levels the pad. VAT excluded.
Next steps
- Site walk with the engineer: test pits, two pull-out tests, water pressure and flow, spare power at the farm board.
- Choose the size and options.
- Send this bill to Holland Greentech and two other suppliers for line-by-line quotes.
- Order film, net and screws in April for a May to August build.
Compare
Three sizes, side by side.
Open any size to work on it, or view it in 3D. The best figure in each row is in green.