This month marked another welcome delivery for our participants: their spring plants! For several years, we’ve been fortunate to partner with The McCreary Central High School’s greenhouse in Stearns, Kentucky, a seasonal, student-managed enterprise. This wonderful initiative is primarily run by the local FFA chapter, under the dedicated guidance of their Advisor and Agriculture Teacher, Cameron Lee.

The greenhouse serves the community throughout the changing seasons. In the fall, they offer a vibrant selection of pumpkins and mums. Following a brief winter pause, the students in the agriculture classes eagerly begin preparations for spring. As the season blossoms, they plant a wide variety of produce, including popular fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, squash, watermelon, pumpkins, zucchini, okra, and cucumbers, all available for purchase. They also cultivate a beautiful array of spring flowers, from Begonias and Geraniums to Marigolds, Petunias, Million Bells, and more.

 

Throughout the spring, their collaboration with our Grow Appalachia program ensures that participants in McCreary and Scott Counties receive these wonderful plants. The proceeds generated by the greenhouse are reinvested directly into the FFA chapter, providing crucial support for enriching experiences such as trips to FFA competitions (reaching as far as the national level), facilitating chapter banquets and student events, and ultimately ensuring the continued success and growth of our chapter and all its activities.

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In March, our participants convened for their monthly meeting and a Basic Gardening class, led by Anna Lee Gafford and Teressa Honeycutt. The session covered essential gardening topics, including garden planning, optimal planting times, cool and warm-season crops, and specific guidance on planting potatoes and onions, as well as the benefits of mulching.

Adding to their gardening resources, participants received organic fertilizer, a diverse selection of seeds, and sets of seed potatoes and onions to get their spring gardens started.