The plants along the benches in the south wing of the Olcott Park Greenhouse and Botanical Garden are green and growing again – and this time, the greens are edible.
The Friends of the Greenhouse has put a portion of the historic greenhouse back into production. They plan on growing fresh salad greens in the cool, sunny wing of the greenhouse through the cold winter months, when locally grown greens would otherwise be an impossibility.
The idea to put part of the greenhouse to work growing food for the community had been percolating for several years, said Dawn Trexel-Kroll, a member of the Friends of the Greenhouse. The city of Virginia had once considered closing the greenhouse, which must be heated during the winter, to save funds. But community support helped keep it open, and the Friends of the Greenhouse is working hard to keep the botanical garden doors open to the public.