NASHVILLE – Plans are underway for the construction of a high-end greenhouse near the Howard County Farmers’ Market.
Howard County Justices of the Peace approved a resolution Monday that will allow the group to pursue a $4,000 Department of Rural Community Services grant, the final piece of a puzzle that organizers have been busy assembling since last year. According to market co-manager Debra Bolding, efforts to add the greenhouse to the market grounds began when the Mine Creek Soil Conservation District received an $8,000 grant from Weyerhaeuser to aid the project.
On Tuesday, Bolding stated the following:
Master Gardeners Lanie Snow and myself prepared recommendations for the greenhouse that will be suitable for public education workshops and for some classroom projects as well. The greenhouse we are recommending is a RIGA XL, made in Germany, and distributed by Exaco Trading Company in Austin, Texas. The proposed greenhouse has a triple-wall polycarbonate shell and all-aluminum frame, which should give many years of service.
Bolding said she visited a similar installation in Sulphur Springs, Texas, before making the recommendation and that, though the owners had installed it six years prior to her visit, “it still looks like new.”
They have been very happy with the house and it looks like a unit that will work well for us for some time.
According to Bolding, the greenhouse will be used to grow unusual varieties of plants not typically seen in the area, and to host demonstration gardens for the market. She said the additional funds are needed to add heating and cooling systems to the house itself, and that the group is looking for local volunteers to construct a block stemwall onto which the 14×30 structure will be built. The total estimated cost of the project is $14,000, and Bolding said it could be completed this season if the group receives the $4,000 grant.
If we don’t get the grant, we’ll just do a local fund raiser. One way or another, we’re going to try to build it.
