Erickson Collegiate is going to be a very busy place tomorrow. Students of their horticulture program are holding their annual plant sale.
Gwen Smid, Erickson Collegiate's Horticulture Teacher, said every plant you can buy at the sale was carefully grown by students in the program. In past years of the sale, there have been a lot of people showing up to support the students.
"We grow them from seed all the way to selling them, and then whatever's left over, we plant some of the flower beds around Erickson too...the community is super generous, we have people lining up 45 minutes before we open the doors. It's a well-established tradition at the school and in town," said Smid.
This year's horticulture class has been working hard all year to grow their plants. Smid said thanks to the community, the students always get to see that work pay off...literally. Proceeds usually top $1,000.
"We always sell a couple thousand dollars worth of plants, which for a tiny little greenhouse, this year we have 16 kids, so pretty amazing how much we can raise. And then that goes towards maintaining the greenhouse, buying the dirt and buying the seeds and fertilizer, and all the fun stuff. Then part of it goes to a last day of school pizza party for the kids cause they've worked really hard," said Smid.
If you're planning to attend, Smid recommends getting there early. Last year, their stock went pretty fast. They have a large variety of flowers and plants, and this year even some herbs and vegetables.
"Last year our flowers sold out within the first 45 minutes. So we tried to do more this year, the Wave Petunias are always super popular, we have everything. Not a lot of perennials, because those are harder to grow in a greenhouse," said Smid.
Erickson Collegiate's Horticulture Program is made up of students of a few different grades. Smid said for the older students, they've started to really nail down the process of growing and caring for the plants, and the newer students always show real interest in the program. It's always fun watching them see their first bloom.
"They really like it, it's such a nice calming space, especially on a rainy day, you're in the greenhouse, get your hands dirty, you're up on your feet and doing something super tangeable...the biggest excitement is when they plant the seeds and all of a sudden they start sprouting, cause it's always that sense like, especially the first year kids, not that they don't believe the plants aren't going to grow, but it's that sense of, oh my goodness they're growing," said Smid.
The sale takes place on Friday at Erickson Collegiate, starting at 10:00 AM. Smid recommends getting there early to make sure you get what you want.
