Wood Lane Industries Community Employment Services is growing – literally growing vegetables.
As part of the project, the organization is also offering shares in its community supported agriculture
(CSA). A small greenhouse has been located at the facilities along Gypsy Lane Road for years, but this
year, the organization and the clients they serve are doing much more than the few flowers which
continue to grow there.
Wood Lane now operates two greenhouses located at the Agricultural Incubator Foundation on Ohio 582 just
east of Haskins. The greenhouses are primarily used for starting the vegetables, although some will be
grown in raised beds in the greenhouse to harvest there. In addition the project has four acres combined
at two sites where the vegetables will be transplanted to grow until harvested.
While it is still early in the process, this combined farm and garden will be a benefit in various ways.
First, it provides employment for more than a dozen Wood Lane consumers. It also will provide a safe and
healthy food source for the Wood Lane kitchen, as well as for those involved in receiving shares from
the CSA, Ian Graham, who serves as one of the job coaches for the project, is extremely excited about
the prospects.
He said the planting began in the middle of April as thousands of plants were started from seeds.
"Some come up and some don’t," Graham said.
After listing off a dozen or more types of vegetables planted, Graham finally summarized, "We have
every vegetable."
Vegetables range in size from small radishes and peas to the large pumpkins and watermelons. After the
seedlings sprout, they are transferred into 4-inch pots until they grow enough to be planted into the
fields. Some items, such as tomatoes will likely remain in the greenhouses.
Rick McEwen, a Bowling Green resident, is one of the workers for Wood Lane. Raised on a farm near Wayne,
he is happy to put to use the skills he used as a child.
"I worked on our farm a lot," McEwen said. "This gives me something to do, now."
The worker said he mostly pulls weeds, waters the vegetables, and he also helped to build the raised beds
used in the operation.
Graham said McEwen is typical of many of the Wood Lane consumers who work on the project.
"Many of the those we serve have a great knowledge of agriculture, and now they can come back to
it," he said noting the advantages for everyone. "It’s good to have a place where they can
work in agriculture."
Typically four or five people work each day from 7 a.m. to noon, with 12 to 15 different Wood Lane
consumers involved at one time or another.

Vic Gable, employment services coordinator, said one of the driving forces is the national movement
toward eating healthy.
"There is a strong demand for locally-grown, healthy food," Gable said.
He said he knows of at least a couple of dozen restaurants looking for fresh veggies. Over the next year
the plans are to work with those businesses and try to fill those needs.
"We are looking at long-term financial stability," Gable said.
Graham said they are using all organic practices. The operation will not be certified organic due to the
volume of restrictions and paperwork required. However, he assures they are not using any pesticides or
other chemicals.
Jay Salvage, adult services director, says this project had its roots, pardon the pun, last summer when
the Industries contract work with Vitakraft Sunseed in Weston. The plant hired Wood Lane clients to bag
mini-Indian corn which is used as feed for animals.
In addition, Salvage said they were told if they could grow the corn, Vitakraft would buy it.
"It just took off from there," he said of the plans and implementation of the project.
Graham said he is very appreciative of the assistance they have received from Principle Business
Enterprises, Bittersweet Farms, the 577 Foundation, Bostdorff Greenhouse, and OSU Extension office and
others. He said he recently personally learned of the value of pruning tomato plants.
His goal is to have this project expand, perhaps doubling in size each year.
"We wanted to do it small and do it right to start," Graham said.
He also envisions using the greenhouses to grow some items year-round. While over the winter months some
plants won’t grow, others will, albeit at a slower pace.
Graham said they will need to work to assure they can provide adequate heat.
He noted how it can be very cold outside and still have adequate temperature in the soil for growing.
"There is some experimentation involved," he added.
The first harvest of some cold-weather crops such as lettuce was already given to the Wood Lane School
kitchen. That was followed by first share day, which was held Tuesday as some of the 30-plus
shareholders received their first vegetables.
Anyone interested in purchasing CSA shares should contact Wood Lane Industries Community Employment
Services at (419) 352-5059.