Osseo Education Center students grow plants, sell them at May plant sale

Students from the Osseo Education Center’s (OEC) transition program can take part in a year-long gardening class, and the fruits of this year’s efforts are now on sale at the school’s annual greenhouse sale. 

An exploratory decision several years ago to purchase and build a greenhouse to give students a new experience soon expanded into a longer class that begins the year teaching students about plants, soil, seeds and more. Then in the winter, students begin to plant seeds and tend to the fresh plants in preparation for their spring plant sale, now in its third year. Offerings have expanded to include items like hanging baskets, vegetables, herbs, annuals, perennials and other garden items like squirrel feeders and garden decor. 

The operation now also includes a second greenhouse, which OEC teacher Russ Wilkinson built with his woodworking class. Wilkinson also builds other pieces for the greenhouse sale such as greenhouse tables, signs, easels to hold signs and a garden behind the school for more space to grow plants. Other staff members build the birdhouses and squirrel feeders, do 3-D printing on garden decor, help with set up and watering operations and more. 

OEC student Jayden Savoren said the class has been especially busy with composting as of late to ensure they have enough fertilizer for the plants. Savoren’s favorite part of the project, he said, is watching all the plants mature and grow throughout the season. 

“As far as getting it all out here, it’s been one heck of an experience,” said Savoren. “We’ve had so many ideas to make it all work.”

Classes like the gardening and woodworking classes are called community clubs at the OEC, which are longer classes that teach skills beyond typical academic curriculum. Gardening club teacher Stella Warira said her hope is the students can use the skills they learn in the gardening club in either their personal lives at home or even to apply for a job at a greenhouse if they feel drawn to this type of work. 

“We also just want to help students get out of their comfort zone and do something new,” she said. “We always try to do that, to help students have flexible mindsets.”  

The plant sale runs every Thursday and Friday through May from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at the OEC, located at 624 6th Ave. NE in Osseo. All funds raised will go toward supply costs for the following year’s gardening projects at the OEC. The sale accepts cash, check and Venmo for payment.