Since March, members of the Kewanee High School FFA have been germinating, growing, watering and preparing for the annual FFA Plant Sale, and until the end of the weekend, the greenhouse is open for business.
Lexi Ruemker, Ag teacher at KHS, said the students have been working hard to offer over 20 varieties of plants, including several varieties of vegetables, succulents, accent plants and hanging baskets.
The assortment being offered are bedding plants, both annuals and perennials that require varying degrees of shade and sunlight. Signs in the greenhouse even showcase which plants are pet friendly, the teacher said.
The prices range from $4 to $20 and all of the funds raised go to the KHS FFA.
Students have been on hand to run the greenhouse. Amy Entas helped box up customer’s purchases on Wednesday, after finishing up her class on greenhouse production, a dual credit course with Black Hawk College. The course and the hands-on experience has allowed the students to gain a wealth of knowledge about the process. There are currently 10 KHS students enrolled in that course, said Ruemker.
Entas said she’s absolutely learned quite a bit about the production of plants from taking the course and readying the greenhouse for the annual sale. The students were involved from the start.
“We have a germination chamber for seeds,” said Entas.
Plant varieties offered at the KHS greenhouse include tomatoes, cauliflower, kohlrabi, sweet and green peppers and cabbage. The greenhouse also has succulents and petunias, although not all of the plants were grown by the students, said Ruemker. Some were shipped to the school and began arriving in early spring.
In addition, the students are selling specialty items just in time for Mother’s Day of Baby’s Breath arrangements in two sizes. The small size is $5 and the larger arrangements are $10.
The FFA plant sale will continue this week, Thursday and Friday, from 3 to 4 p.m. with the entrance to the sale through the doors at the far west end of the high school.
This weekend, on Saturday, May 11, the greenhouse will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on Sunday, May 12, from noon until 2 p.m.
