Calling all Plant People! Welcome to The Greenwave Plant Corner. A place where students from the Plant Systems classes at the Churchill County High School (CCHS) will share all things garden. We hope to tell you about the projects we’re working on, what is growing in our greenhouses, and hopefully some tips and tricks for gardening in the Lahontan Valley.
My name is Patrick Silva, and I have the pleasure of starting this new column. I am one of the student gardeners, a senior at CCHS. I have spent many seasons growing a garden with my family and also helping my father out in his landscaping business.
Some of my favorite plants to grow are tomatillos. My family uses them for garden-fresh green salsa, a delicious sauce for many Mexican dishes. Now is a great time to start tomatillo, tomato, and pepper seeds if you want to make your own salsa this summer.
Our greenhouses at CCHS are toasty warm, and I have already started quite a few tomatillos from seed. These plants should be large and in flower by the time it’s safe to plant them outside, around May 15.
Along with my classmates, I will be helping with the new Greenwave garden landscape in front of the school. We are working hard on the design now as a class, and we are all growing plants that we would like to add to the area. I plan to add tomatillos to the culinary beds we are installing near the building entrance. I am also going to add some tomatoes because we all know that Mrs. Alisha, the Culinary teacher, loves vine-ripe tomatoes.
I have also germinated some very special Valley Oak trees from acorns that I gathered from the beautiful yard of our family friend, Susan McCormick (see the seedlings and me in the photo). The trees around her house provide ample shade and a cool place to rest, even in summer. With some care, Valley Oaks can grow up to 100 feet (maybe 150 feet) and live 300 to 600 years, perhaps even more. Did you know that the giant tree that grows above Stone Cabin Coffee is a Valley Oak?
If you don’t have time to start your own seeds, we have you covered. Churchill County High School and the Lahontan Conservation District will be working together again for our 3rd Annual plant sale on May 9, 2026, from 9 a.m. to noon. Save the date!
You can find houseplants, fruits, and veggies, as well as my Valley Oaks, in two greenhouses full of plants. Stay tuned for more details. Lahontan Conservation District will have bare-root starts available that day, which can help with windbreaks, riparian restoration (narrow transitional areas of land along bodies of water), soil erosion control, and creating a cool place to rest in your yard.
Thank you for reading and growing with us. CCHS Plant Systems-we put the “green” in Greenwave!
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