Greenhouse Program
BHS Greenhouse News
Ballard HS Greenhouse Program
Ms. India Carlson took over the program over 17 years ago. The greenhouse program serves over 160 students per year. Current projects include a climate garden, a weather station, a pollinator pathway garden, a carnivorous plant bog, fruit trees and space for growing garden veggies.
Future projects are working with the Seattle Farmer’s Market Association to develop education on farming and a worm bin project. Students maintain the garden during the school year and in the summer. View our weather station conditions for current temperature, wind, humidity, rain and barometer readings!
Refer to the BHS Course Catalog for more information on courses offered at Ballard HS.
Ballard HS Greenhouse History
The Ballard High School Greenhouse was built with donations from the Ballard High School foundation and was originally spearheaded by Ballard teacher Toni Bukowski.
The greenhouse is now named after Mrs. B to honor her dedication to sustainability and making connections to the greater community by teaching students about plants. Ms. India Carlson took over the program over 16 years ago. The greenhouse program serves over 160 students per year and continues to grow. Current projects include a climate garden to monitor weather and its effect on plants, pollination studies, growing plants for use in the food science class, and studying native plants.
Ballard and Nathan Hale Students Lead Seed Planting and Pollination Event at Farmers Market
CTE Teacher India Carlson has been working with the Seattle Farmers Market Association to connect farmers and educate the public about how food is grown. Students from her class joined her at the Ballard Farmers Market to lead a seed planting event and educate the public about pollination processes. They created a zine outlining the pollination process to share with farmers market attendees, a snapshot of which can be found below.
What is pollination? Pollination is the transfer of pollen to a stigma, ovule, flower or plant to allow fertilization. There are a variety of different insect and animals that perform pollination. Why are pollinators important? “Three fourths of the world’s flowering plants and 35% of the world’s food crops depend on animal pollinators to reproduce.” (usda.gov). Some important Pacific Northwest pollinators are birds, bats, bees, butterflies, moths and flies. Bees: Bees are the world’s most well-know pollinators. Some species of Pacific Northwest bees are the Blue Orchard bee, the Alkali bee, the Western bumble bee, and the leaf cutter bee. Different species of bee have different appearances and preferences.
Ballard High School teacher receives national recognition!
May 2022: “The Garden Club of America has selected BHS teacher India Carlson for the prestigious Hull Award, given to outstanding teachers who further the early environmental education of children”.
Seattle Times Article, Ms. Carlson Jan 2021
Washington science teachers get creative during pandemic learning – Home Hydroponics
“Every two weeks or so, Carlson, a botany and environmental horticulture teacher at Ballard High School, dons a mask and gloves, carts out trays of plants to the back of the school and awaits her students.
She hands out colorful coleus, catnip, geraniums and succulents. The teens arrive one by one, have quick chats with the teacher they mostly see over video lessons, and depart with new flora to care for at home. On a few occasions, she’s dropped off plants at her students’ homes. This is science class during the pandemic: teachers turning typically hands-on lessons on their head, and finding lively ways to engage students learning remotely.”
SPS Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month!
Our Ballard HS botany and environmental horticulture teacher, India Carlson, talked with Lab Out Loud, science for the classroom and beyond programming about teaching science with plants.
“Our guest this week is India Carlson, a botany and environmental horticulture teacher at Ballard High School in Seattle, Washington. In a typical year, India’s students spend a significant portion of time working in the school garden and greenhouse.
Faced with the unique challenges of learning science at home this year, India decided to clone a plant for every one of her students to use at home for learning, experimentation, and even finding joy. India joins us to talk about the logistics of sending plants home, the unexpected benefits of the program, and how this experience has prompted her students to appreciate more of the environment around them.”
Curbside Jan 2021
Curbside was a hit during the school years 2020-21. Every two weeks or so, Ms. Carlson our botany and environmental horticulture teacher would don a mask and gloves, and cart out trays of plants to the BHS Curbside events.
May 2019 Annual BHS Plant Sale was a Success!
BHS Teacher India Carlson tells us they sold sustainably grown vegetable starts and annual flowers, with all proceeds that went straight to the Botany and Horticulture program at Ballard HS!
The Greenhouse is located in NW203 and on 15th Ave NW, just next to the high school. The Annual Plant Sale raised over double what was raised last year!
Feb 2017 NW Flower and Garden Show
Ballard competed at the NW Flower and Garden Show | Garden Wars against Nathan Hale High School in Feb 2017. We took a team of 3 students to design and build a garden at the show.
This was the first time that high school programs compete in Garden Wars.
Feb 2016 Plant Sale
The Greenhouse grows vegetable and flower starts for the spring plant sale to take place in May. Students can volunteer after-school in the greenhouse and the garden for community Service Hours.
We are always looking for way to connect out work to the community so if you have any ideas please contact BHS Teacher India Carlson at ikcarlson@seattleschools.org
Sept 2014 NW Flower and Garden Show
Congratulations to the BHS garden team. They won the most creative design award in the student category at the 2014 NW Flower and Garden show for the urban chic them of Paris rooftop artist’s garden.
Feb 2013 NW Flower and Garden Show
BHS students won again in the “most creative design” category in the Funky competition! The grade theme was based on Jurassic Park and was titled Greenasaurus Rex.
This makes 3 years running that Ballard students have won an award at the show.
This year’s statistics are: 6 devoted students, 150 service learning hours, 23 consecutive days of work after school and on the weekend, 90$ in spray paint, 50$ in goodwill items, About 60 plant Donations from Limback lumber, Miller Paint, the ReStore, Swanson’s and the loaning of Mr. Bones from Ms. Vogel’s