Challenge – Enhancing agricultural education
Solution – GrowSpan Series 2000 Greenhouse
Size – 20′ wide x 40′ long
Application – Educational use for horticulture and hydroponics
Location –  Palm Coast, FL.

At Flagler Palm Coast High School in Palm Coast, Florida, agricultural education has been a cornerstone of the curriculum for decades. As part of their Agriscience Foundations and Agritechnology classes, students are introduced to plant science, sustainable growing methods and a wide range of career opportunities in the industry. Since the implementation of the school’s GrowSpan Series 2000 Commercial Greenhouse, it has become a central component of that hands-on learning experience.

Maggie Reaves, Instructor of Agriscience Foundations and Agritechnology at Flagler Palm Coast High School, uses their greenhouse to immerse students in real-world growing environments. Inside, they sprout seeds, grow ornamental plants and explore hydroponic production methods alongside traditional soil-based techniques.

“The greenhouse is excellent for educational purposes,” said Reaves. “In addition to growing plants, I’m able to use events that happen naturally in the greenhouse as teaching opportunities, including irrigation issues, temperature fluctuations and more.”

The greenhouse not only exposes students to different crop types and growing systems, but it also supports a flexible learning environment that adapts to class size and project scope. With its 20′ wide by 40′ long footprint, Reaves can accommodate multiple student groups working on different projects, while maintaining clear oversight.

“My maximum class is 30 students, so this is the perfect size greenhouse for our agricultural program,” she said. “With various activities going on at the same time, it’s nice to be able to still keep tabs on everyone.”

Along with its functionality, Reaves has been impressed with the structure’s durability. “I’ve had zero issues with my greenhouse in the two years I’ve used it, and I know it’s been around a few additional years before me. It’s held up incredibly well in the Florida heat and humidity.”

As the program continues to grow, Reaves is excited to add more accessories to the greenhouse and expand on what it already offers. “I love our GrowSpan greenhouse,” said Reaves. “It’s a high-quality structure that’s easy to upkeep, and there are a lot of accessories and growing products available to make things as easy as you want.”

For more information on Flagler Palm Coast High School’s greenhouse and agricultural program, visit https://www.fpcbulldogs.com/academics/programs-of-study/technical-agricultural-operations.

Challenge – Creating the optimal environment to run systems year-round
Solution – One GrowSpan Series 2000 Greenhouse
Size – 30′ Wide x 144′ Long
Application – Algae-based wastewater treatment
Location – Mondovi, WI.

CLEARAS Solutions is the leading provider of advanced, sustainable wastewater treatment technologies. The company strives to recover the Earth’s finite natural resources, economically cleaning air, water and making earth-friendly products, all by utilizing their Advanced Biological Nutrient Recovery (ABNR™) system.

The ABNR™ system is designed to leverage the biological benefits of microalgae in a carefully controlled, continuous flow environment. Within the system’s vertical glass photobioreactors, algae and other microorganisms help recover various nutrients from wastewater. Not only does this process result in clean, oxygenated water that can be reused or discharged back into nature, but it also generates a biomass co-product that can be used to create everyday items.

In order for CLEARAS to run this system effectively on a year-round basis, they required a highly regulated environment that gave them protection from the elements, as well as a reliable source of lighting. Ultimately, the company decided that a GrowSpan Series 2000 Greenhouse would provide them with an ideal production space, enabling them to maximize the potential of their treatment process.

This dependable structure allows CLEARAS to have complete control over their environment 365 days a year, regardless of the weather conditions outside. It also offers a high degree of natural light transmission, which helps algae within the ABNR™ system complete photosynthesis and metabolize nutrients, at virtually no cost to the operation.

In addition to a superior growing environment for algae, the new greenhouse ensures technicians and other personnel on-site have a unique, comfortable space to work in. With ample square footage and exceptional clearance height, the CLEARAS team can maneuver and manage their equipment safely and efficiently.

CLEARAS Solutions states that they are extremely satisfied with their GrowSpan greenhouse. This structure plays a major role in the success of their Mondovi, WI facility and will support their continued efforts towards a more sustainable future.

For more on CLEARAS Solutions and their GrowSpan Series 2000 Greenhouse, visit https://www.clearassolutions.com/.

Challenge – Expansion to meet business needs
Solution – One GrowSpan Series 1000 Greenhouse
Size – 30′ wide x 60′ long
Application – Growing bedding plants and hanging baskets
Location – State Center, IA.

As a family-run business in their fourteenth year of operation, Dusty Hill Farm has become a staple of their community in State Center, Iowa. The farm grows a variety of bedding plants and hanging baskets in their greenhouse each season, has an online shop and even participates in local farmers markets.

With all this success, Dusty Hill Farm found themselves running out of space in their existing structure and struggling to produce enough plants to keep up with demand. The farm’s owner, Larry Pfantz, knew he needed a retail greenhouse that not only increased their usable growing area, but was also capable of superior climate control to improve plant quality. Amidst his search for a solution, Pfantz stumbled upon GrowSpan while flipping through some of his reading material.

“I learned about GrowSpan when I was reading an issue of Greenhouse Grower Magazine,” said Pfantz. “Ultimately, I really liked the price of their structures.”

Dusty Hill Farm decided on GrowSpan’s Series 1000 Commercial Greenhouse, a popular option amongst commercial growers for its arched roof design and low cost per square foot. In addition to the ample floor space they gained, the business also takes advantage of the structure’s abundant overhead room to maximize their growing potential. “I really like the 10′ tall sidewalls, because they give us far more basket capacity,” said Pfantz.

To ensure he could maintain the ideal growing environment during the farm’s busy season, Pfantz also decided to take advantage of one of GrowSpan’s powerful, yet efficient evaporative cooling systems. This setup helps Dusty Hill Farm keep both their plants and customers comfortable, with little effort or maintenance. “By adding the evaporative cooling wall, it’s much easier to keep the greenhouse temperature down,” said Pfantz. “The entire space stays a lot cooler, no matter what it’s like outside.”

Overall, Pfantz and his family at Dusty Hill Farm were happy with their decision to choose GrowSpan for their new retail greenhouse. “It was an enjoyable process working with GrowSpan; I wouldn’t do anything differently,” said Pfantz. “We are no longer overcrowded, and we look forward to growing in here for years to come.”

For more information on Dusty Hill Farm and their GrowSpan Series 1000 Commercial Greenhouse, visit https://www.dustyhillfarm.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/dustyhillfarm/.

Challenge – Increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities
Solution – GrowSpan Series 1000 Commercial Greenhouse
Size – 30′ wide x 60′ long
Application – Growing plants, vegetables and flowers
Location – Wheeling, WV.

The Civitan Sheltered Workshop was founded in 1967 in Wheeling, West Virginia and later changed its name to the Wheeling Area Training Center for the Handicapped (WATCH). Now a division of Russell Nesbitt Services, the organization is dedicated to providing training and employment opportunities to individuals with disabilities.

As the manager of WATCH, Lynn Wallace Dick always had her sights set on increasing the business’ employment possibilities. In search of a solution, the organization decided a greenhouse would provide just the answer they were looking for. “The greenhouse is another employment opportunity for individuals with disabilities to work with the community,” said Wallace Dick. “They can learn to plant, care and sell flowers and plants to the public.”

The addition of a greenhouse accomplished exactly what Lynn hoped, creating a new chance for employment that offers valuable learning experience. “We did not have a program like this before the greenhouse,” she said. “With a lot of research and grant writing, we were able to purchase our greenhouse.”

WATCH opted to purchase a 30′ wide by 60′ long Series 1000 greenhouse; a structure capable of supporting all the business’s growing needs. Throughout their community, WATCH has received recognition for the crops they’ve been able to grow in the new greenhouse, as well as for the relationships they’ve fostered with the public. Wallace Dick noted, “The clients love working with the public. They take pride in helping customers and in the plants and flowers they have grown.”

For the time being, WATCH is only open seasonally, but with the capabilities of their GrowSpan greenhouse, there’s hopes of offering year-round opportunities to their clients. Wallace Dick appreciated the assistance she received in working with GrowSpan. “The staff was knowledgeable and had the willingness to help with equipment and greenhouse purchases,” she said. “There was great customer service and knowledge about different equipment to meet the needs of the individual greenhouse.”

 For more on WATCH and their GrowSpan Greenhouse, visit rns-watch.org/ or www.facebook.com/RussellNesbittServicesInc.

Challenge – Expanding educational hydroponic program
Solution – Two 20′ wide x 48′ long GrowSpan Low Pro Tunnels
Three HydroCycle Pro NFT Lettuce Systems
One HydroCycle 8′ tall Vertical Aeroponics System
One HydroCycle Vertical NFT Lettuce and Herb System
Application – Hydroponic vegetables
Location – Detroit, Mich.

The Charles Drew Transition Center is one of the only schools in the United States dedicated to improving job security for their special education students with a wide array of skill-building programs. The Drew Horticulture Program educates students between the ages of 18 and 26 with physical, cognitive and health impairments and provides them with valuable agriculture skills before they enter the workforce. Within the past 6 years, the program has grown to such heights that it is now also a force to be reckoned with in combating the lack of affordable, fresh produce in the Detroit metro area.

While the Drew Horticulture Program originally used two GrowSpan HydroCycle NFT Systems, they have now expanded to include an additional two GrowSpan Low Pro Tunnels, a HydroCycle Vertical Aeroponics System, a HydroCycle Vertical NFT Lettuce and Herb System and three HydroCycle Pro NFT Lettuce Systems. The new GrowSpan structures and HydroCycle Systems have allowed the program to expand their selection of produce with plenty of room for experimentation and greatly increase their yields, including increased lettuce production from 500 heads every four weeks to harvesting up to 4,000 lettuce heads every five weeks. Tomatoes, peppers, radishes, arugula, endive and mizuna are also grown in the tunnels and hydroponics systems, just to name a few.

Michael Craig, the head instructor for the Drew Horticulture Program, says expanding with additional hydroponic systems has been a painless process because of how user-friendly they are. Craig said, “Once we plant and get everything going, we can pretty much leave the systems until it comes time to harvest.” The simplicity of the hydroponic systems has also been extremely beneficial to the students. “Because we’re working with special needs adults, it’s all about repetitious work. Then when the students age out of the program at 26, they can find jobs at stores, urban farms and other businesses,” he continued.

The Drew Horticulture Program distributes a portion of their produce to local food pantries for those in need. The program also donates food to a “Clinic to Farm to Patient” initiative through Buckets of Rain that prescribes fresh produce, rather than medication, for diet-related ailments, helping them continue vegetable distribution throughout the winter. The Drew Horticulture Program also makes biweekly deliveries to Chartreuse Kitchen and Cocktails Farm to Table and sells produce at the Detroit Eastern Market. Profits from these sales are then invested back into the school’s programs to help further the students’ educations.

Since purchasing the additional GrowSpan HydroCycle Systems and Low Pro Tunnels, Craig has worked alongside the students towards a consistent schedule of planting and harvesting, so they remain busy and constantly learning, even in the colder months when others must stop growing. This consistent production schedule has allowed the school’s produce to reach even farther into the Detroit community and help those in need, something Craig emphasizes to his students regularly. “It’s important for the students to understand there’s a greater good to what we do. We help people at the source, combating childhood obesity through our school lunch program and now reaching them in their homes too,” he said.

This steady growth has not gone unnoticed as the Charles Drew Transition Center is now a nationally recognized institution after receiving the Michigan Department of Education’s Innovative Educator Corp Award and the 2017 National School Board’s Magna Award. Looking towards the future, it seems there are no limits for where the Drew Horticulture Program will go. A fruit orchard of 22 trees has already been planted, and Craig says he looks forward to continuing his work with GrowSpan to find new and innovative growing solutions.

Even as the Drew Horticulture Program further grows and evolves, the students will always remain at the heart of the program. “We want them to remain engaged in the Detroit community, staying active and ultimately finding employment,” said Craig. He also noted that the relationship between The Charles Drew Transition Center and GrowSpan has been vital in helping the program achieve this goal. “We couldn’t have done it without our relationship with GrowSpan. We continue to work with Heather who has been fantastic, and the education they have provided continues helping us move forward.”

For more information on the Drew Horticulture Program and their GrowSpan Low Tunnels and HydroCycle Systems, visit www.detroitk12.org/drew.

Charles Drew Horticulture cold frame

Charles Drew horticulture hydroponics

Charles Drew horticulture vertical growing

Charles Drew horticulture hydroponics