Propagating Geraniums -- Great Video on Youtube

I'm at the University of Illinois for a Biological Science Applications in Agriculture course at the University of Illinois for the next three days.  More info about this experience later today.

A fellow educator just recommended a great video for teachers interested in geranium propagation. Check it out:

It doesn't feel like June at the University of Illinois -- my Alma Mater.

Beyond Tomatoes and Poinsettias: Growing TRE Plants in the School Greenhouse

I worked for the Forest Preserves of Cook County before coming to Niles North High School and working as a Hort Club Sponsor. You wouldn't imagine that the the Chicago area would be a hub for the ecological restoration community, but "Chicago Wilderness" is home to many passionate groups like the North Branch Restoration Project and other individuals who are nuturing the regions most imperiled native plants.

Which brings me to an idea:

I'm wondering if it might be possible to use school greenhouses for more than mere vegetable and bedding plant production.  I am interested in developing a regional partnership -- or be part of an exisiting partnership -- between school greenhouse programs and the restoration community.   Specifically, school greenhouses would propagate native plants to support regional restoration projects and help increase the number of important species (i.e. TRE: threatened, rare, and endangered). I believe that this hands on experience could provide authentic learning opportunities, help students to develop meaningful skills, and give them the satisfaction of doing very important restoration work.  

Note: there is already a similar program that involves Alligator Snapping Turtles.  Trout Unlimited also runs a similar program, Trout in the Classroom (TIC).  As part of this program, students in grades k-12 raise trout from eggs to fry.  Local students released the trout into recently restored ravine.  Why couldn't greenhouses be used in a similar way?

I recognize that I've barely scratched the surface of the hort club plant sale.  From plant propagation to marketing to business, there is much that students can take away from the traditional seasonal plant sales.  I do wonder if it is time to move beyond tomatoes and poinsettias.  

What are your thoughts on this project?  Have you attempted to grow natives?  Are there oter organizations or individual teachers that are already using school greenhouses for this type of work?


Below:  Prairie Violet Seedlings -- a possible candidate for a school greenhouse natives project.  As the map at right shows, Prairie Violet was once common throughout the Midwest and Great Plains.  Map via USDA Plants.

Reflections on the end of a plant sale

From this -- the week before the plant sale:

To this (today):

Sorry the terrible photo.  I assure that it was even worse before I cropped out my head.  I really need to get a cameraphone.

Today, 5/22, marks the end of the school year at Niles North.  With the end of the school year comes the question: What to do with all of those plants that are still in the greenhouse?  We've donated plants to a local nonprofit farm,  we will be giving away plants to a local CSA run by students with special needs, and have encouraged our club members to grab another big boy tomato plant before finals week is over.  That being said, I'm afraid that we'll have some plants leftover.

To my fellow hort teachers and club sponsors, what do you do with your leftover plants?

I told hort club members that we grew plants for 4 reasons:

1. Because its fun!
2. To learn the basics of plant production and biology.
3. To raise money for the school fundraiser and to save money for future plant sales and club projects.
4. To use our plants to do good -- to donate them to food pantries, community gardens, and individuals who grow food for less-fortunate members of our community.

I believe that our leftover plants can truly be used to do good in our community.  I will let you know where else we decide to donate these plants.

A few other questions for this time in the growing season:

Besides giving away plants, what else do we need to do to wrap things up for the school year?
Is there anything that we should be doing in the greenhouse this summer to get ready for next year or maximize the use of this resource?  

Learning how to grow: The Ball Redbook

I finished my Calculus class on Thursday.  For your sake, this as probably as much as I'll tell you about Calc.  No, it's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be, but this is a horticulture blog and our math discussions should be more in the realm of technical math, fundraising dollars, etc.  Then again, maybe calc will intersect with greenhouse production at some point down the road.  Have an idea of how they might intersect?  I'd love to know.

Having survived Calc, I decided to treat myself to used copies of the following plant production textbooks: The Ball Redbook:  Greenhouses & Equipment (Vol. 1) and Plant Production (Vol. 2).  I'm looking forward to reading these books during summer and developing a stronger understanding of scientific plant production techniques.  I look forward to sharing my findings with you as I work through these books.

Does/has anyone else use these books?  What other resources do you use to improve plant production in your school greenhouse?  More importantly, what resources do you use to teach students plant bio and greenhouse production?

Let's Grow!

After years of dormancy, the seed has sprouted.  I am secondary science educator who firmly believes in the potential of greenhouse programs in our schools.  From large-scale plant production programs to bottle greenhouses, this blog will hopefully grow into a resource and hub for others who are interested in or working hard in school greenhouses around the world.  Let's grow!

Above:  Members of the Niles North Horticulture Club (Greenthumbs) hard at work in the resucitated School Greenhouse this spring.  This is where my greenhouse adventure began.