High school Future Farmers of America members will be selling plants -- including vegetables, flowers and ornamentals -- all this week.
The sale will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at the high school greenhouse, located behind the agricultural building.
Students do 100 percent of the work to get the plants ready for sale, according to agriculture teacher Mike Rogers. About 100 students in Gene Collins' horticulture, landscaping and greenhouse management classes tend the plants throughout the year. Middle School students in Rodney Ellis' agriculture classes also help with the project, he said.
Collins gets the plants as plugs from Pigeon Family Farms and the students raise them for the sale. Some of the perennial plants, such as Boston ferns, take up to two years of care before they are ready, Rogers said.
All of the proceeds from the sale go to the FFA. Officers of the club run the plant sale and are in charge of everything from creating marketing materials to helping customers select the right plants for their garden and giving them advice on how to care for them.
The students enjoy learning by doing hands on projects, Rogers said.
"Kids want to get out and actually get dirty," he said.
Senior Chelsea Maloy, a four-year member of FFA, said helping with the plant sale has taught her how to care for plants and how important they are for the environment. She has also learned about all the different types of plants grown in the greenhouse. She especially enjoys the flowers, she said.
Maloy's favorite part of the sale is helping customers find the right plant for their garden.
Plants available at the sale include Boston ferns, other ferns, coleus, dianthus, English ivy, geraniums, marigolds, zinnias, petunias, purple fountain grass, spider plants, ornamental millet, tomatoes, peppers and various other vegetables.
For more information contact Gene Collins at 524-5134 ext. 501701 or email [email protected].
General News on 04/26/2015