Carnikavas dārznieks (Carnikava)

 abandoned / shut down, greenhouse, orchard / fruit garden, floriculture

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The origins of the “Carnikavas dārznieks” (Carnikava Farmer) vegetable and flower farm complex date back to 1955 to a decision made by the board of the Carnikava fishing collective farm (kolkhoz) concerning the production of vegetables, which were to be sold in markets in Riga.
By 1958 the size of the farm had grown to 3000 square meters, growing cucumbers, tomatoes, spring onions and spinach. But it was the gardening and flower section of the farm that gained most of the success of the farm. In the 1960s roses, callas and other flowers were grown in 6 greenhouses. By the 1980s, the farm had automatic climate control mechanisms and had earned various prizes at agricultural contests in the USSR, especially in the Moscow Fair for its gerberas and azaleas, and sold its produce in markets and its brand store in Riga. The farm had reached the size of 3 hectares and employed about 180 workers.
After the restoration of the independence of Latvia and the dissolution of the kolkhoz, the private JSC Carnikavas dārznieks was established in 1992. Despite the threat posed by imported European and South American flowers and rising electricity prices, the vegetable and flower farm continued its work successful while modernizing its equipement and infrastrucuture.
Unfortunately, in 2007 the farm was closed to the rising natural gas prices (it relied on gas heating), disputes over land ownership and unpaid loans. By 2009 the farm was mostly abandoned and suffered from extensive vandalism, with the greenhouses being demolished a few years before 2020.