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West Salem High School agriculture teacher Mike Larson’s greenhouse two class has been busier than ever as the growing season gets underway.

Class members have been planting many different flowers, such as petunias, mixed baskets, impatiens, geraniums and marigolds. Larson encourages his students to research and choose a plant that is interesting to each of them, and he says the most popular flowers are impatiens and petunias.

While few area schools have their own greenhouses, they are becoming more common. Larson said that is because, in part, gardening and landscaping in Wisconsin is a large industry. High schools with agriculture programs and greenhouses, he says, are good ways to expose students to the greenhouse and landscaping industry.

Greenhouse two is a semester class in which, in addition to the planting, students perform pH soil tests and electroconductivity tests on plants to make sure the fertilizer program is working correctly. They also spend time in class discussing and diagnosing problems the plants may have and general maintenance of the plants. They are always watering, pinching and diagnosing plant problems to ensure they have quality plants.

The 18 class members are also learning about nutrition, the balance between water and soil, the importance of plant fertilizing, planting from seeds and transplanting. In coming weeks, they will be covering marketing and customer service.

The last week of March, the class taught second-graders how to plant flowers. The second-graders were very excited to work with the high schoolers. According to Larson, it gives the high school students a chance to learn communication skills and reinforce what they have learned about planting and transplanting of plants.

“It is gratifying to watch students grow and mature from the start to the finish of growing plants. They become really excited when they see the plants germinate, flower and how they sell,” said Larson.

Greenhouse plants were sold during the annual May Fair last Sunday. The sale will run now through May 9 from 8-6 p.m. and and May 10 from 8 to noon at the high school greenhouse; those interested should enter via the Heider Center parking lot and drive behind the school.