This Post article on AppHarvest illustrates the difference between the two:
- Greenhouses are horizontal, basically relying on the sun for the energy to warm the house and grow the plants. Because they're land intensive, they aren't typically found in cities. Like self-storage facilities they need to be close to their markets but far enough away to enjoy lower land costs. Because their energy cost is low(er) as is their construction cost, they can be used to grow more nutrient intensive plants (as tomatoes in the piece).
- Vertical farms are vertical, basically relying on electricity for the energy to warm the facility and grow the plants. Because they minimize land costs, they can be sited in cities, minimizing the cost of transporting their produce. But because of the cost of electricity and construction, low nutrient greens and herbs are their sweet spot.
Both types of facilities can benefit from technological advances, like computer management of the growing and harvesting process. They can both appeal to producers by offering pesticide and insecticide free produce. They both are vulnerable to disease/pests from their concentrated production.
