Adriana Segura’s Greenhouse Operations students are building greenhouses as a part of their semester exam this year. Students chose which greenhouse to design, write about and build. Among the options were the Quonset, A-Frame, lean-to, and the uneven span.

The hands-on project is meant to give students a better understanding of greenhouses as a whole. Aside from choosing a project that would be a fun and challenging activity. 

Segura also wanted to challenge students to open their minds and explore their creativity. The course is set to teach students about the operations of production in greenhouses, how it affects the market, and how people can manipulate the climate in order to grow crops year-round. The class ties into agriculture as well as this course includes learning about crop production but on a smaller scale and focuses on specialty crops.

“I wanted to break down the structure of greenhouses and how different types of greenhouses are based on plant production,” Segura said. “I thought this would be a way for the student to have fun while also doing their exam.”

Students have worked on their greenhouses and essays for the past two weeks. 

“I picked the Quonset because it was the most interesting and one of the easiest to make,” Senior Alan Perez said. “The essay was pretty quick and easy to write because I was very interested in the type of greenhouse I had.”

The students are expected to include components such as plants, tables, and benches in their greenhouses. Students found the decorating aspect fun and their favorite part of the project because of the opportunity to personalize the inside of their greenhouse. 

“I made an A-Frame greenhouse because it was very challenging to make and my favorite part was making the hanging tools that are in the greenhouse,” Senior Darian Alvarez said. “The inside was the most fun to make because it was like designing my own little house.”