VICTORY HOME GREENHOUSE, TALLULAH FALLS
This project is the result of a partnership with The Victory Home Inc. and Headwaters Master Gardeners. The Victory Home greenhouse is a 30ft x 100ft structure located on the property of Victory Home, Inc. in Tallulah Falls, GA. The facility, founded in 1959, is a faith-based, residential, intensive treatment program for men recovering from substance abuse. It has a favorable history in the community for providing quality vegetables and flowers for sale.
Over the last several years the greenhouse has been sporadically functional due to inconsistent management and funding. It is equipped with the basic requirements for a successful plant growing environment.
This venue provides educational opportunities for master gardeners to learn new skills and to provide a service to another nonprofit organization. We are mindful that this is a recovery property and the health, success and privacy of the men are the priority of the Victory Home organization.
Members of Headwaters Master Gardeners began the project in September 2019. It required total cleaning, pot washing, and general maintenance before starting. There were no funds available, so we began the task of fundraising with a very successful Wreath Making Class for the community. We had 27 participants and a local florist who led the workshop that provided us with a financial boost.
We received donations from Headwaters Master Gardeners, private individuals, and a grant from GMGA. Victory Home filled a 1000-gallon tank of propane gas for heat and many donations of perennials during the fall and spring all of which did very well. We purchased the heating pads to help with germinating a variety of seeds
MGEV volunteers and residents eagerly planted approximately 40 trays of 36 plants each (approximately 1,440 seed cells). We arrived one morning about a week later to find that the total effort had been destroyed by field mice – all the seeds were gone from the pots.
We were surprised and disappointed by the damage. Seeds were not replanted in the greenhouse since it was getting late into the season and the mice problem had to be resolved. However, some of the volunteers did plant seed at home using our new heating pads and returned the plants to the greenhouse for maintenance.
The event was then canceled due to COVID 19. Unfortunately, this was our largest fundraiser for the project and Headwaters Master Gardeners. We decided to have a plant sale from the greenhouse to dispose of our inventory following CDC guidelines. By word of mouth and Facebook, we sold 85% of our plants providing sales over $2,000.00. The remainder of the plants were donated
After we sold our inventory, we closed the greenhouse for the season due to the virus and summer heat. Our extension agents from Habersham, Rabun and White counties had helped us plant a cover crop in the early spring for a garden area for the students.
We are very appreciative and thankful for all volunteers, our extension agents (Steven Patrick - Habersham, John Scaduto – Rabun, and Nathan Eason – White County), and Victory Home administration and residents who have made this project fun, interesting, educational, and financially worthy. Yes, there have been challenges, but we are pleased to know that our group can manage during a crisis and other unexpected turn of events. Thank you to GMGA for considering and selecting this effort for a grant.
Submitted by Kathy Booker, GMEV, Rabun County