A group of agriscience students at Chilton County High School are reaping the rewards of growing and harvesting crops they planted several months ago.

Eight students in the FFA program at CCHS, along with instructor Marlon Harton, planted seeds on three acres of borrowed land before school dismissed in May as part of an agriscience project.

Crops they harvested in July and this month include watermelon, corn, squash and okra.

“I think it was a definite success with what we were able to harvest,” Harton said.

The group sold 60 watermelons to Todd’s Produce, 120 watermelons to Binion Farms, two bushels of corn to Pierce Farms and four bushels to Popwell Farms.

They gave away much of the remainder of produce to the 11th Area of Alabama Opportunity Action Committee Inc., also known as Community Action, for disbursement to people in need.

The 11th Area Community Action group gave a donation to the CCHS agriscience program for the land project to purchase supplies such as fertilizer and seeds.

Proceeds from the produce sales totaled $606, which will benefit the CCHS FFA chapter by helping fund fall trips and class materials.

The land the students used belongs to Ray and Debra Sosa and is located on County Road 41 in the Clanton city limits.

Brandon Bolding, Caloub Baker, Cameron Wright, Cole Watley, Reece Staggs, Grant Henderson and Colton Fells participated in planting the seeds in May.

Over the summer, students and Harton returned to the land nearly every week to tend the crops until they were ready to be harvested.

Bolding said the project taught him about patience and work ethic.

“We benefited a lot as far as the money and what we learned,” Bolding said.

Bolding and his classmates planted, plowed and fertilized the land.

“I learned a whole lot more about fertilizing,” Wright said. “I feel like I need to know a little bit more about [growing and planting].”

Staggs said his family’s background is in cattle and forage, but he gained more knowledge of agriculture by helping plant the seeds.

“I actually learned a lot, even though I was just there for a day or so,” Staggs said. “I just feel like for me it was a total learning experience.”

Harton said he and the students applied fungicide to the watermelons to combat the growth of fungus about every seven to 10 days until the third week of July.

The group gave the Sosas some of their yields as a thank you for allowing them to use the land.

The students were able to sample some of the produce they grew as well.

“It tasted pretty good,” Wright said.

For the next set of summer crops, Harton said he hopes to complete more of the process even before the group goes out to the land to plant.

“What I would like to see us do next year is do our propagation of seeds in the greenhouse,” Harton said, adding the students would then transplant actual plants, not seeds, from the greenhouse to the ground.

Incorporating “direct seeding” might lead to an earlier harvest, which would allow the group to sell watermelons and other produce before the Fourth of July holiday for a higher price.

“That would generate more funds for our department,” Harton said. “The main issue was just finding an area. We felt like if we could find an area, we could find the resources to do it.”

Harton thanked the 11th Area Community Action, Clanton Tractor, Pierce Farms, Postell Farms, Popwell’s Produce and Ford Farms for their cooperation.

Harton and his students have started planting fall crops, which will include field peas, cabbage, cauliflower and collards.

Additionally, Harton said the agriscience department acquired a tractor through donations and resources this summer.

He said his intent with projects like the summer crops is to develop skills they can apply in the workforce and to see them carry out the FFA motto: “Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve.”

“For any of our students to give any amount of time in the summer to the project is evidence of their interest,” Harton said. “I’m very appreciative of those guys that have been available for FFA activities this summer. I think we got a lot done.”