Plans being made for new campus greenhouse

Story by Rex Stanley, Student/journalism student reporter

There are plans in the making to build a new greenhouse on Placer´s campus and to renovate the current one. For quite a few years, the current greenhouse has not been maintained and has slowly been falling apart.

The greenhouse, which is located behind the tennis courts, is lacking in water and power, therefore it has not been able to be used enough to take good care of certain types of plants

“I felt like there was so much potential, and I feel like I wish the kids were using it so the kids could learn how to plant and use the greenhouse properly,” said Sharon Arsenith whose classroom sits right next to the current greenhouse

The current greenhouse has not been used for a while, though it still has plenty of potential. However, it is quite a mess and needs a little care.

“I think that people don’t use it enough, and we should start growing more plants in it to make it more beautiful,” commented current FFA member, Kylia Sheriff.

The old greenhouse will not be left in the dust though according to FFA advisor Haylee Kidd. She plans to build it into a new shade house for plants that could not live in the bare sunlight or need to adapt to the environment.

A new, advanced, greenhouse is in the making to be able to grow the plants that will go in the shade house. “It’s commercial grade, so it will be computer ran and be able to do aquaponics,” said Kidd. The update will be funded by the Agricultural Workforce Grant, a state-funded project.

Kidd is working to enrich the agriculture class and also to bring students from Confluence high school into the agricultural classes. 

“It will really get students to the level they need to be to go directly from high school to the workforce if that’s what they choose to do,” Kidd says when asked about student involvement.

Plants will be grown in the new greenhouse and placed in the shade house to adapt to the environment. After, the plants will be planted outside.

“It will hold all of the plants that come from the new greenhouse. A shade house is to acclimate a plant slowly to the climate we are in so they don’t go into shock when planted outside,” Kidd explained.

With the addition of the new greenhouse, it is hopeful that the FFA and agriculture classes will be enriched and better prepare students to farm, plant, and tend.