Greenhouse open for business at Waynesburg Central High School

WAYNESBURG – The Waynesburg Central High School greenhouse is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Saturday hours will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 11 and 18.
The grand opening sale for the greenhouse was held last weekend. Juniors Jenna Henry and Ally Younken said the hanging baskets were the big hit of the sale. The baskets sell for $12, $15 and $18.
“Those (the baskets) went pretty fast,” Younken said. “There will be more hanging baskets next year.”
Both she and Henry said they were amazed at how many of the baskets were bought by their male counterparts as Mother’s Day gifts.
“The teachers have bought a lot of flowers, too. They give us requests for what they want,” Henry said.
In addition to the hanging baskets, the greenhouse has a wide variety of potted plants and flats. Flowers, as well as some vegetables, are available. Local resident Nancy Beabout stopped by Wednesday to make a purchase of tomatoes, marigolds, peppers and penta flowers.
“I thought, gee, I’ll give it a try,” Beabout said. “I think it’s nice that they have this.”
The girls gave a lot of credit to vocational agriculture instructor Mike Churney.
“Mr. Churney did a lot. He bought a lot of the flowers and seeds for us,” Younken said.
Looking around the greenhouse, the girls noted that the work has been a collaborative effort. The flowers, flats and potted plants sit on tables that were built and installed by the students in the woodshop classes. Forestry, advanced agriculture, agricultural mechanics, and horticulture students have also been involved in the process of growing the plants.
The greenhouse project was approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education in 2009. It was built with the help of a $20,000 Department of Community and Economic Development Grant and a $5,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Greene County.
The 30-foot-by-36-foot greenhouse was constructed from a kit purchased from the Winandy Greenhouse Co. of Richmond, Ind., for $18,984. Construction was completed during the 2011-12 school year.
Other local high schools with greenhouses include Mapletown High School, West Greene High School and Carmichaels Area High School. Jefferson-Morgan School District maintains a greenhouse at its elementary school. The Carmichaels and Jefferson-Morgan greenhouses are for educational purposes and do not sell the plants.
The West Greene High School greenhouse began its yearly sales on May 1. Hours of operation are noon to 4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; noon to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays; and 9 a.m. to noon May 11.
Plants from the Mapletown High School greenhouse are available for purchase each Saturday during the Greensboro Borough Farmers Market. Market hours are from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.