Plants that once filled Karls Hall’s greenhouse found new owners and homes after the Darr College of Agriculture’s plant sale.
The sale was held on May 5 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and May 6 from 8 a.m. to p.m., at Karls Hall Room Greenhouse on the Missouri State University campus.
Students enrolled in the Greenhouse Management course are in charge of helping grow the plants and conducting the sale, with the help of the greenhouse crew and other volunteers.
“The sale and the preparation are great experiences for my students, since some of them will eventually start their greenhouse business or be in charge of a greenhouse for schools with FFA programs,” said Clydette Alsup-Egbers, associate professor of plant science.
Jessica Bishop, a senior studying agriculture education, found this experience to be beneficial to her as a future educator.
“As a future teacher of agriculture at the high school level, a lot of the time we will run our own greenhouse, so it gives me a lot of hands-on experience that I can use in the future.”
Bishop and the other students enrolled in the Greenhouse Management class helped grow the plants that were later sold at the sale.
“A lot of the plants we start from seeds and seeing them sprout and flower is really neat, especially throughout the whole semester,” said Bishop.
A wide variety of plants were for sale at the event, including herbs, vegetables, flowers, succulents, tropicals and houseplants.
“The goal is to learn to grow popular crops, try new and unusual plants that typical garden centers don’t offer and share our plant enthusiasm with customers, some of whom have been regulars for us for years,” Alsup-Egbers said. “The Agriculture office and I start getting calls and emails asking about the sale several months in advance.”
The money raised from the sale will be used to purchase equipment, plants and other supplies needed to continue the operation of the greenhouse, said Alsup-Egbers.
Alsup-Egbers manages the greenhouse, which is open all year round. Students and faculty can use it for research projects, and other plant-related classes often conduct labs in the greenhouse, said Alsup-Egbers.
The plant sale has been put on by the Darr College of Agriculture for the past 21 years, ever since Alsup-Egbers was first hired by the university. She plans to continue the sale in the upcoming years.
Follow Jenna Murray on Twitter, @Jenna_Murray5
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