Building on the success of last year's inaugural greenhouse plant sale, Manheim Central students are gearing up for a second event. Students in Seth Kensinger's Agronomy, Soil and Biotechnology class will hold a plant sale from 1 to 6 p.m. on Fridays, May 6 and 13, and from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays, May 7 and 14. The sale will be held at the greenhouse behind Manheim Central High School, 400 Adele Ave.

"We planted tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, cucumbers, zucchini, lots of herbs, watermelon and cantaloupe," said junior Luke Snavely. In total, the sale will spotlight 38 varieties of tomatoes and 24 types of peppers, among other plants.

For years, students at Manheim Central grew tomato plants to sell at the Landis Valley Herb & Garden Faire, but last year, the students decided to do their own sale and to expand their offerings. "We thought it would be easier to do something here at school so we wouldn't have to transport the plants, and we wouldn't have to worry about running out of stock," said senior Anna Haldeman, who was involved with the project last year as well. "It's also a good opportunity to show the customers where we do everything."

To prepare for the sale, the students have spent the semester learning about growing techniques, different varieties of plants and horticultural terms. Anna noted that it's been a bit of learning curve for some of the class. "There are only two in this class who have done this before," she said. "Everyone else is brand new. This class has been about learning new things, how to be successful with new varieties, making sure we know and understand what we're growing."

Sophomore Kelci Sauder said the students chose what to grow based on requests from the community as well as what has worked well in the past. "We are selling things you can't get at other places," she stated, noting some of the unusual varieties that will be offered, such as Pork Chop, a yellow tomato, and Buena Mulata, a purple hot pepper that changes color as it ripens. She added that the class aims to price the plants competitively.

Kensinger said the students have impressed him with their enthusiasm, willingness to learn and passion for plants. "They are learning so many skills in this class," he stated, adding that all of this has been done in the midst of major construction going on at the high school, which will include a new greenhouse next year. "It's not learning just how to grow the plants and what the plants' needs are, but also learning how to intelligently talk about the plants and share what they've grown with the community."

Additional students in the class are Miranda Baum, Alaina Bruckhart, Judah Bruckhart, Madelyn Strait, Megan Garber, Sidney Kopp, Gabby Fittery and Megan Sawadsky.

The entrance to the sale will be through the agriculture gate at the rear of the high school building. For more information, visit http://www.manheimcentral.org/Page/1233 or check out the Facebook and Instagram pages by searching for "mc.ag.greenhouse."