The southernmost extent of mainland Canada, along the northern shore of Lake Erie, lies at about the same latitude as Des Moines, Iowa. Though not a “breadbasket” like the grain-producing machine that is the U.S. Midwest, this part of southwestern Ontario holds its own as an agricultural powerhouse. In the Leamington area, growers cultivate vegetables and other crops within millions of square feet of greenhouse space.
Commercial greenhouse operations began to gain a foothold in this area in the 1960s and 1970s as technology advanced and regional demand for fresh vegetables increased. Since then, the industry has continued to grow, securing Leamington’s reputation as the “greenhouse capital of North America.”
The growth in greenhouse extent in the past decade alone is apparent in satellite imagery. These images, acquired with the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8, show how the Leamington area changed between July 2015 (left) and September 2025 (right). By 2025, many more light-colored greenhouse roofs are visible, especially to the north and west of the town.
Greenhouses occupy nearly 8 square kilometers (2,000 acres) in the Leamington area, according to the municipality, representing the largest concentration of greenhouses in North America. The facilities primarily produce vegetables such as tomatoes, seedless cucumbers, and peppers, in addition to other crops including strawberries and cannabis.
The industry has changed not only the appearance of the daytime landscape but also the nighttime sky. Supplemental LED lighting, used to sustain growing operations year-round, emits purple, orange, and yellow glows that have been spotted as far away as Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, Michigan, about 50 kilometers ( …