After months of meticulously caring for thousands of herbs, flowers and house plants, the students in East Tech High School’s horticulture program opened up their annual plant sale this week.

Students are selling the plants out of the greenhouse at Washington Park in Newburgh Heights. The sale will be open this Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. They’ll open back up for the same hours next on May 14, 15 and 16.

“It gives the kids the opportunity to learn the science behind growing plants, but it also gives them the chance to learn the marketing, the selling, the advertising,” said Julie Stanton, the head of East Tech’s horticulture program.

Proceeds from the plant sale go back into East Tech’s horticulture program. They use the money for projects and to travel around the world to see new plant species. Last year, they went “glamping” in the rainforest in Costa Rica. In June, they’ll travel to an island chain called the Azores off the coast of Portugal. The islands are home to plant species that don’t grow anywhere else in the world.

Students will also go whale watching and conduct soil and water tests during the trip, too.

“It’s an immersive experience where they get to experience a lot of horticulture,” Stanton said. “But also just kind of get to learn more about the world and learn more about themselves as well.”

Stanton works lessons about agriculture and forestry into the horticulture program, aiming to introduce students to career paths and fields that aren’t typically taught in urban areas, she said.

Some of the East Tech horticulture students landed jobs at a local community garden over the summer. They’ll grow plants and learn how to cook healthy meals with them. Then, they’ll launch a social media campaign focused on healthy food access.

“We really need people who have a knowledge of plants and horticulture,” Stanton said. “Especially to continue to meet the demands for our population and produce enough food.”