While 59 % of the total open ground area was used for vegetable cultivation, berry-, fruit- and ornamental plant cultivation occupied 24, 13 and 4 % of the total open ground area, respectively. The available greenhouse area was more or less evenly divided between the cultivation of ornamental plants and vegetables or berries.
From an area point-of-view, the largest open ground crops in 2017 were, in descending order, strawberries, carrots, apples, onions and iceberg lettuce. The area-wise largest nursery crop was deciduous trees, which occupied just over 48 % of the available open ground area for ornamental plants.
The production of several crops diverged markedly from previous years. While the harvest of cauliflower, broccoli, onions and pumpkins was unusually high, the production of spinach and dill fell by 93 and 52 % respectively, primarily due to a decreased demand from the food industry. The apple yield also decreased markedly, as a consequence of a frosty spring. Due to a concurrent increase in cultivated apple area however, the total decrease in harvest was relatively modest.
For a long period of time, the Swedish greenhouse production has exhibited a continuous increase in energy efficiency and a rapid transition towards renewable fuels. In 2017, the increase in energy efficiency halted and the relative energy use increased by 4 % to 210 kWh per square meter as compared to 2014. During the same period, the transition towards renewable fuels continued at a high pace, resulting in an increased share of energy from renewable sources from 48 to 57 %.