Allegheny Greenhouse Project

The Allegheny Greenhous senior citizen volunteers, for 16 years, operated out of the greenhouses on the Warren State Hospital grounds. The structures were deemed structurally unsafe about 2 years ago and their lease was terminated. Penn Soil is now the fiscal agent for the group and has been working to find a new home for them to re-locate to and build new greenhouses to resume their operations.

Bee Courageous, now also under Penn Soil's non-profit umbrella, stepped forward to partner on the project to assist with running the new greenhouses once they are built and to help Penn Soil with planning environmental education opportunities for the area as well as community events.

The fourth major partner on this project is the Rouse Estates in Youngsville, PA. They have offered the use of an un-developed parcel of land at the Rouse Estates to build new greenhouses for the groups to grow flower, vegetable and herb plants to sell, plus offer educational and community events, which will supplement the activities the Rouse residents will be able to enjoy and participate in daily. 

The plan is to build 2 - 24' x 80' ADA compliant greenhouses adjacent to the Rouse Suites with a paved walkway connecting the two areas to enable the Rouse residents to volunteer at the greenhouses with growing and selling plants to the community, plus participate in educational and community events.

Members of the community, businesses and other organizations wanting to donate to the effort can contact Sue Nielsen at pennsoilrcd@wcconservation.net or call the office at 814-726-1441. 

The Allegheny Greenhouse senior citizen volunteers and Bee Courageous volunteers are hosting a Kids Container Workshop Sat., April 25 at the Allegheny Valley Veterans Center in Clarendon, PA from 9 am - noon for the first 60 children pre-registered.

Parents can pre-register their children, 3 years old and up, to plant starter flower, herb and/or vegetable plants in a cute planter for Mom for Mother's Day! Cost is $10 per child. Visit our Shop page and select the icon for the Children's Container Pre-registration. A parent or guardian must accompany the child/ren. There will be additional activities and the Veterans Center invites the kids to decorate their sidewalk with chalk drawings, weather permitting!

The next event is an all-day, hands-on window box and beekeeping workshop at the Allegheny Valley Veterans Center located at 100 N. Main St. Clarendon, PA on Saturday, May 30. This all-day, hands-on workshop will be from 9 am until 3 pm and offers practical skills in creating vibrant window boxes and maintaining healthy bee colonies, promoting conservation and biodiversity in NW PA. Participants will plant flower and/ or herb starter plants in wooden window boxes, enjoy lunch provided by Bee Courageous and then learn about beekeeping from the Warren Co. Beekeeping Assoc. The cost is $40 per adult.

There will also be hanging baskets of ferns and flowers, vegetable and flower plants by the 4 or 6 pack and 50' garden hoses for sale. Cash, check or card accepted.

These are the first of several fundraisers to come for the Allegheny Greenhouse senior citizen volunteers and Bee Courageous, working with Penn Soil RC&D Council, to build new greenhouses on property at the Rouse Estates in Youngsville, PA!