Frigid temperatures engulfed most of the Prairies earlier this month, but it’s been warmer in greenhouses in the Brandon area as exotic plants grow inches away from a deep freeze.
Here, students work on propagating trees and shrubs and scientists study plants for future agriculture production. | Sandy Black photos
Research assistant Ken Martens at Assiniboine Community College’s greenhouse checks to see how the Covington variety of sweet potato is handling the long cold storage. Mould, rot and shrinkage are monitored. | Sandy Black photo
Sajjad Rao of Assiniboine Community College’s School of Business, Agriculture and Environment checks his overwintered sweet potato plants for leaf miners and aphids. Rao has been researching the viability of growing sweet potatoes in Manitoba for the past five years. | Sandy Black photo
Courtney Clark admires a Bird of Paradise while tending to some of the tropical plants at the Green Spot home and garden centre in Brandon. Seeding of annual plants takes place in mid to late February. | Sandy Black photo
Sunflower sprouts grow in a light growth test being conducted by students at the Assiniboine Community College. | Sandy Black photo
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