On July 17th, the Al Oerter Green Teen Design team visited Queens Greenhouse in order to learn about plant care and design. Judy Mai, a green teen, shares her discoveries:
"Recently remodeled to incorporate technology, the greenhouse now uses computers to control the temperature in each room as well as heating pads to help seedlings germinate. In one room, wind would blow through the corrugated cardboard and become moist, and is later ventilated out on the other side. This creates a controlled environment that keeps air moving to prevent pests. The greenhouse goes by a golden rule policy where they try the least toxic method first to get rid of pests, avoiding the use of pesticides. Most of the plants being grown were annuals, which only have one year life cycles and are considered high maintenance. However, these annuals consist of pretty flowers and are meant to be for show. Sally, a gardener there, showed us how they pot the seedlings. By collecting seeds, it becomes more cost effective. Perennials, on the other hand, are year round. When considering what to plant, one must look at the nature of the plants - bloom time, color, sun and shade tolerance, texture, use, etc."