Finding the right fit

Karen E. Varga
Editor

Recently I saw a news story about a controversial teenage clothing store named Brandy Melville that almost exclusively carries one size — small. The only jeans size that the store carries will fit a young woman with a 25-inch waist that wears approximately a size 0 or 2.

To give you an idea of how many women would fit into that size, consider that a 2012 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for Health Statistics found that a 16-year-old woman has a waist size that measures an average of 31 inches. Suffice it to say that not many teenage girls are walking around in Brandy Melville clothing, in spite of its relative affordability.

While this isn’t an isolated case and other clothing stores have made headlines over the past year for strictly limiting the sizes they carry, it does serve as yet another example of “one size fits all” being far from the truth.

You may be wondering why I’m talking about clothing and waist sizes in Greenhouse Management. Well, the concept of trying to squeeze into too-tight clothing is much like trying to successfully run your growing operation in a new greenhouse that isn’t the best fit. Much like a greenhouse that is optimized for a cooler climate won’t work well in the tropics, a production greenhouse may not fit the needs of a research team.

This month, we share the story of the Ohio State University’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center’s loss of one of their research facilities and how they got back on their feet with a brand new complex. After much discussion, the OARDC determined that they needed a greenhouse design-build team specializing in custom solutions to tailor-fit a greenhouse set-up that best met their needs. For example, traditional production-style benches weren’t the most ideal size for their research purposes; they needed narrower benches that allowed easy access to the center area when gathering data. Turn to page 16 for the whole story.

Although I know not all of you are growing produce, I highly recommend you check out our Produce Grower December cover story about an urban grower working to eliminate a food desert and unite the community — there are many lessons there that you can apply to your ornamental operation. Visit www.producemag.com and search for “Growing an oasis.”

As 2014 winds to an end, I wish you the very best in the coming year, and a lovely holiday season with those you care about most.
 

Happy Holidays!

Karen E. Varga, Editor
kvarga@gie.net
216-393-0290  |  Twitter: @GC_Editor