Every day, for about an hour at a time, about 60 of Laurel County’s high school students dig in the dirt. Either that, or they spend their time watering, planting, seeding, tending, learning.

And two weeks ago, the fruits of their labor started paying off. Literally.

Yes, North and South Laurel high schools’ greenhouses are officially open to the public, with veggie starters and flowers the students have grown up for sale.

“This is the fun time of the year,” South Laurel teacher Jason McWhorter said. “The kids get to see the reward of what they’ve been working so hard at.”

The students have been toiling away in the greenhouse since January. In turn, these humid, humble spaces have proved to be rich sources for education and learning, with teachers touching on subjects like plant propagation, plant nutrients, fertilization, optimal conditions for growth, and, when the plants are ready to sell, business skills.

“They see science come more to life,” North Laurel teacher Rhonda Cornett said. “What they learn in biology and all their other science classes, they actually get to apply it to a real-life situation.”

The students are passionate about the class, with nearly every one of them listing it as their favorite block of time in their school day.

As to why they like it, the number one response by far is the kids like getting out of the traditional school setting.

“It gets you out of the building, for one thing,” Brandon Hammock said.

“You learn more than you would sitting in a classroom,” Lester Moore added.

Tyler Cheek agreed.

“This is the best class ever,” he said. “I like doing hands-on stuff.”

The students also like to simply watch things grow.

“It’s just amazing to see something grow from a seed to a big plant,” Kim Patton said.

Chris Roberts agreed.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “It’s just a really good experience planting flowers.”

But flowers aren’t the only thing on the price list. South Laurel features four different varieties of sweet peppers, five more of hot peppers, and a whopping 21 varieties of tomatoes, five of which have heirloom heritage.

The ever-popular geraniums are up for sale, as are non-stop begonias, asparagus ferns and impatiens.

For its part, North Laurel features nine varieties of heirloom tomatoes, flats of dianthus, snapdragons, wave petunias and marigolds, along with hanging baskets filled with wandering Jews and ivy geraniums.

The North Laurel students will also plant custom flower pots for customers.

While the selection at both schools is largely based on customer demand, Cornett said she likes to try something new each year and enjoys scanning the seed catalogs.

From there, she found the heirloom tomato called Mortgage Lifter.

“It’s from Abraham Lincoln’s time,” she said. “A farmer bred the tomato and sold enough of them to paid his mortgage off.”

Cornett said her attraction to finding new heirlooms has to do with more than just the stories behind their names.

“They basically fly right out of the greenhouse,” she sad. “A lot of people want those old-fashioned tomatoes. Tomatoes today are bred for shelf longevity. But they’ve bred the taste out of them. The heirloom is the kind of tomato you can sink your teeth into.”

Money earned at the greenhouse — about $8,000 — goes directly back into the program at South Laurel. At North, funds raised help pay greenhouse expenses and for Future Farmers of America field trips.

North Laurel High School’s greenhouse is open Monday to Friday from 8:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday in May.

South Laurel High School’s greenhouse is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday in May.

Staff writer Tara Kaprowy can be reached by e-mail at tkaprowy@sentinel-echo.com.