MARSHALL COUNTY, W.Va. (WTRF) — Several greenhouses run by Marshall County students are set to open next week, all with an amazing variety of flowers, vegetable plants, herbs and hanging baskets.
Whether you are about to take on a major landscaping project, or if you’re just looking to spruce up the yard a bit or possibly grow some of you own vegetables, this coming Monday is a day you will want to mark on your calendar.
Monday, May 1 is the grand opening of the student run greenhouses in Marshall County.
Students at John Marshall and Cameron High Schools and Moundsville and Sherrard Middle Schools will be selling the flowers, plants and baskets they have been working on throughout the school year.
“The greenhouse is kind of a complex operation and every kid seems to pick up a job that they enjoy. They do everything from planting to feeding the plants to watering to cleaning and organizing.”
Nicole Shipman, Ag-Ed Teacher, John Marshall High School
There are more than 100 kids in the John Marshall agriculture program and they all contribute to the greenhouse in some way.
The work begins at each school in late January. That’s when students begin the process of germinating seeds for tomatoes, peppers, broccoli and other vegetables. Then at the end of February, seeds are planted for flowers. Students are responsible for maintaining the proper temperature and humidity in the greenhouse while they monitor the daily growth of the plants.
” I’m in here every single day that I can for as long as I can with my other classes. I like all of the work that goes into it. The organizing is one of the hardest things to do because everything had to be in the right spot 24/7.”
K. Philips, Ag Student, John Marshall High School
“We have people that water them everyday. We have people that pick the heads off the plants just to keep them healthy and make them grow better.”
Brendan Carroll, Ag Student, John Marshall High School
“I think it’s fun to come in here and plant. I like making the friends and we just have fun while we do it. “
Atreyu Dudley, Ag Student, John Marshall High School
The result of all that work is a greenhouse with a large variety of plants and flowers at great prices the community can enjoy.
“One of the things that we talk about throughout the year is how to best serve the customers that we do receive and we have a lot of return customers. We have had people stopping in asking when we are opening up. We are just really happy to provide a service to our community such as this.”
Nicole Shipman, Ag Teacher, John Marshall High School
“It’s just a great feeling to know that you put in the time and effort to this. Then people are buying it and they are giving you so many compliments.”
K. Phillips, Ag Student, John Marshall High School
Here are the hours for the Marshall County school greenhouses:
- Cameron High School: Beginning Monday, May 1 open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays
- John Marshall High School: Beginning Monday, May 1 open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays
- Moundsville Middle School: Beginning Monday, May 1 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for week one; effective Monday, May 8 open every school day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Sherrard Middle School: Beginning Monday, May 1, open every school day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The public is invited to shop at each location, all of which will remain open until all items are sold.
