Growing Twice as Nice: WHHS Greenhouse Expansion Blooms With Community Spirit

Beautiful blooms.

Established in 2001, the Western Hills Ag Department Greenhouse has successfully produced and sold hundreds of thousands of plants to individuals all throughout the Commonwealth! It has further hosted several agriculture classes, such as Intro to Greenhouse and Greenhouse Tech, where students develop an understanding of plant sciences and how to properly raise plants, as well as gain hands-on experience with greenhouse sales and plant production. 

Some notable greenhouse projects include the WHHS Ag Department working in conjunction with the City Road Department, using mums and other flowers to plant downtown Frankfort, Ky., in the bourbon barrels lining the street! The greenhouse sells mostly bedding plants, such as vegetables and herbs, as well as flowers like petunias, geraniums, impatiens, dragon wing begonias and several other varieties. 

Beginning in 2023, WHHS FFA advisor and greenhouse teacher Jeffery Shaffer moved from purchasing mums to resell to producing ferns within the department. “Pam Moore helped me get started with the mums,” Shaffer says. “She showed me how to set up the mum plot and water drip lines.” He adds that mums are pretty easy to raise, even though he was initially weary of the upkeep.

Now, the greenhouse mums are a perfect project for students to get hands-on experience with producing high-quality plants that are used in fall arrangements and sold to the public! 

While the original greenhouse holds many great memories, in 2023 a new greenhouse began construction to expand greenhouse sales and provide more room for curriculum in other classes! The new and improved greenhouse will be used for plant production and sales, and is being furnished with automatic fans and shades to keep the greenhouse at an ideal temperature.

“It’s super nice — really state of the art!” Shaffer says.

The original greenhouse is on its way to holding four 800-gallon tanks for WHHS FFA advisor and agriculture teacher J.R. Zinner’s aquaponics class to hold and raise fish. It will still be used to raise plants, such as ferns and select flowers, and will also hold overflow from the new greenhouse! The old greenhouse still holds the soil tiller and other tools for greenhouse class students to expand their skills. 

Happy faces at the WHHS Greenhouse opening!

All in all, the establishment of a second greenhouse will open many doors and pave the way for a promising future. The grand opening for the new WHHS Greenhouse was April 20, 2026, when several dignitaries and community members attended in celebration. Since then, business has been successful, and visitors have raved about the quality of plants they bring home to plant in their gardens!