The MJC Nursery: Greenest classroom in the college

The best kept secret in town is the low-cost Nursery Green House on the Modesto Junior College East Campus. This beautiful place, located behind the Agriculture Building off Yale Avenue, is a source for all kind of plants: indoors and outdoors, fruits, trees and flowers. "Everything that is needed to landscape a house, except lawn," says Lee Ridge, laboratory technician and manager of the nursery. New and long-standing clients will have an opportunity to shop for spring bedding plants as well as a variety of tomato seedlings this Saturday, April 8, at the Nursery's 10th Annual Plant Sale. Free coffee will be provided to customers arriving early. The sale runs all day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ridge is a man with passion for his work and a dedication for this program. However, the ultimate responsibility rests with full-time horticulture instructor Dale Pollard. The MJC Nursery has been in operation for more than 40 years. Since the late 1960s it has been the greenest classroom in the college. The whole purpose of the nursery is not to make money, but to teach students the art and science of the plants. "We sell the plants to support ourselves; it's not a real business," says Ridge. "The Green House program is supposed to be biggest, most complete nursery operation for a junior college in California. We do more things any other school that I know of." The nursery is used by teachers to lecture students on agricultural business and techniques of plant raising. The nursery also contains an experimental lab: community members and even private companies can ask the MJC green house to test different techniques to improve plant growth. Right now the Nursery has a sweet potato planting project, which consists in growing the plant, then taking parts of the plant, rooting and planting them. That particular project is for a private company which asked the nursery green house to do it for them. In the next few years the whole Agriculture Department will move to the West Campus. However, it is uncertain if the greenhouse will be moved along with it. The whole community benefits from the MJC nursery. Such is the case of Jackie Doane, a frequent customer, who loves to buy her plants and flowers from the nursery. "They know how to treat a plant, and they know everything we need to know as customer," says Doane, when asked why she shops at the MJC green house. It's not only the "know how" that attracts customers from the community, it's also the price. "It's much less expensive than going to other nurseries," she says, "and the plants are in a really good health, because they (the agriculture department) knows how to care for them." The nursery does not have the expenses that a profit making company does. "We do not have to pay rent, taxes or employees," explains Ridge. That brings down the prices for the general public. The Nursery's main clients are home owners and landscape companies, who were the first to find out about this well kept secret in town. The busiest months for the nursery are March through May; however, most of the customesr looking for fruit plants visit the nursery in January and February. Christmas is also a good season, with the green house selling seasonal decorative plants.