By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

UNION, Ky. — Bake sales, car washes, litter pick-up, candy sales … These are all good methods of raising money, but the FFA chapter at Ryle High School in northern Kentucky earns the most money from its 17 year-old greenhouse.

The 84 FFA members at this school begin their work in December, planting seeds, cleaning pots, bagging soil and checking hoses. By April, the club was ready to sell more than 1,400 plants to the public. And no one is happier than Ryle High ag teacher and FFA instructor Josh Tubbs.

“The kids get busy in the winter and raise the vegetables from seed,” Tubbs said. “They get the pansies, marigold and petunia seeds, as well as the geranium plugs, in place by the first of January. They work until it’s time to sell the plants. This is how they earn.”

The greenhouse at Ryle (which measures 60-foot by 120-foot) has been in place since 1992, the year the school was constructed. Also included is 900 square feet of bench space and 60 hanging planters. The plant sale at the school is held one Saturday each spring from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“Last year we had 1,400 petunias seeds planted and ended up with 600 plants,” Tubbs said “If I plant 100 seeds and sell half we’re happy with that.”

There are 1,650 students at Ryle High School. There are 110 taking ag classes at the school with 84 FFA members. Just two students in the school come from operating farms.

“We’ve done well to become self sufficient. We rely on a lot of donations,” Tubbs said, referring to 40 ferns and 20 hanging plants. “This past school year the kids have raised more than $7,000 and the money will come in handy, especially when you consider we have to pay for 10 students to attend the FFA National Convention for three days. Included in the costs are their meals, hotel rooms and gas to get there.”

The 84 FFA members use several money-making projects during the year, but most enjoy working with the plants.

“Last year we raised about $1,000 with our greenhouse,” Tubbs said. “This year we should more than double that. A greenhouse this size should have sales exceeding $5,000.”

Tubbs and his students are already making plans for next season.
“Every day we learn something new,” Tubbs said. “We offer tomato plants, pepper plants and some other vegetables. Customers have asked for cantaloupe, squash and zucchini. We have the space. Right now we’re learning what our customers want around this area.”

In addition to teach a class on greenhouses, Tubbs offers classes in ag construction, small power equipment, landscape design, equine sciences, small animal science and veterinary science.