Discover how SunMed Growers uses Maryland’s only Dutch-style greenhouse to harness full-spectrum sunlight, improve plant quality, and carry on generations of Dutch cultivation expertise.
Inside SunMed Growers: What Is a Dutch-Style Greenhouse
When people think about cannabis cultivation, they often picture dark indoor grow rooms filled wall-to-wall with artificial lighting. But at SunMed Growers, our approach is deeply rooted in generations of greenhouse expertise.
SunMed Growers is home to Maryland’s only Dutch-style cannabis greenhouse, a cultivation system designed to maximize natural sunlight, environmental efficiency, and plant health. Inspired by advanced greenhouse technologies developed in the Netherlands, this style of greenhouse combines traditional agricultural knowledge with modern environmental controls to create an ideal growing environment for cannabis.
A Greenhouse Tradition Rooted in Holland
The story behind SunMed’s greenhouse starts long before cannabis legalization in Maryland. Founder Jake Van Wingerden comes from a multi-generational Dutch greenhouse family whose agricultural roots trace back to the Netherlands.
Jake’s grandfather, Aart Van Wingerden, emigrated from Holland in the 1940s and helped establish one of the most influential greenhouse-growing family legacies in the United States. Over the decades, the Van Wingerden family became leaders in ornamental greenhouse cultivation, operating millions of square feet of greenhouse space across the country.
That heritage became the foundation for SunMed Growers when Maryland’s medical cannabis program launched in 2015. Rather than adopting a fully indoor warehouse model, Jake applied the greenhouse techniques his family had refined for generations.
As Jake explained in industry interviews, the philosophy behind Dutch greenhouse growing centers on creating the ideal environment for plants while harnessing the power of natural sunlight and controlled agriculture.
What Makes a Greenhouse “Dutch-Style”?
Dutch-style greenhouses originated in the Netherlands, where growers needed to maximize crop production despite limited sunlight, dense agricultural regions, and changing weather conditions. Over time, Dutch greenhouse engineering became known worldwide for its efficiency, sustainability, and precision environmental control.
One of the defining characteristics of a Dutch-style greenhouse is its peaked glass roof design. The angled glass peaks allow sunlight to enter the greenhouse at multiple angles throughout the day, helping maximize natural light exposure from sunrise to sunset. At SunMed, this means cannabis plants receive the benefits of natural sunlight while still growing inside a highly controlled environment.
Why Full-Spectrum Sunlight Matters
Natural sunlight contains a wider spectrum of light than traditional indoor grow lights can fully replicate. Many cultivators believe this contributes to more robust terpene expression, stronger cannabinoid development, and healthier overall plant growth.
SunMed’s greenhouse model is designed to combine the best parts of indoor and outdoor cultivation:
-
The environmental consistency of indoor growing
-
The power and spectrum of natural sunlight
-
Reduced energy consumption compared to fully indoor facilities
-
Advanced climate controls for temperature, humidity, airflow, and irrigation
SunMed describes this balance as creating “the ideal environment for healthy cannabis plants without the more intense energy and natural resource requirements of indoor grows.”
The Benefits of a Dutch-Style Greenhouse
Maximum Sunlight Exposure
The peaked glass roof design allows light to penetrate throughout the day, helping plants receive consistent sunlight exposure as angles change. This improves canopy penetration and supports healthier plant development.
Environmental Control
Unlike outdoor cultivation, Dutch-style greenhouses allow growers to carefully manage:
-
Temperature
-
Humidity
-
Irrigation
-
Air circulation
-
Supplemental lighting
-
Pest management
This controlled approach helps maintain consistency while still leveraging natural sunlight.
Sustainability
Dutch greenhouse systems are known for efficient resource usage. At SunMed, irrigation runoff is captured, filtered, and reused through a Dutch-style drip irrigation system. The facility also incorporates sustainable pest management and composting practices.
Energy Efficiency
Indoor cannabis cultivation can require enormous amounts of electricity due to lighting and HVAC demands. The peaks in Dutch-style greenhouses allow for more optimal light transmission, by utilizing sunlight as a primary light source, we do more with the light to increase efficiency. Greenhouse cultivation can significantly reduce energy usage compared to fully indoor facilities.
Scalable Precision Agriculture
SunMed combines traditional greenhouse methods with modern automation technology, including rolling bench systems, environmental monitoring, and optimized grow zones that move plants through different stages of cultivation.
SunMed Growers: Maryland’s Only Dutch-Style Cannabis Greenhouse
Today, SunMed Growers stands apart as Maryland’s only cannabis cultivator operating a true Dutch-style greenhouse system. Located in Cecil County, the facility utilizes advanced greenhouse engineering imported from Holland alongside decades of agricultural experience passed down through the Van Wingerden family.
That combination of heritage, innovation, and controlled sun-grown cultivation has helped establish SunMed as one of the largest cannabis cultivators on the East Coast.
While many cannabis companies are just beginning to explore sustainable cultivation practices, Dutch greenhouse growing has been refined for generations — and at SunMed, that legacy continues under the glass peaks of Maryland’s only Dutch-style cannabis greenhouse.
