Garden greenhouse raises money for local causes

In September of 2020 it was only a dream. This year, local Ellen Beach realized that dream.

Beach has always had an interest in home beautification. As a 10-year-old, she and her father drew pictures and plotted a yard around a newly built house in the Mill Iron community. She took the project in 4-H for several years as a youngster, further cultivating her interest.

Then life happened, Beach says, and she was too busy over the next several years raising a family and helping on the ranch she married into.

When an accident made her slow down and "smell the roses," Beach again turned to yard work. After several years of improving her yard in Ekalaka and eventually thinking she was out of new ideas, she dreamt of a greenhouse.

High winds took her first attempted greenhouse build, but Beach wasn't deterred. She told her "free labor" to build her a pole barn, something more substantial that would hopefully hold up better to severe eastern Montana conditions.

Railroad ties were soon pounded into the ground and a few timbers were cut by a local sawmill. With the help and donations of many people the greenhouse became usable. The only things that were purchased new for the construction were the many, many screws that hold the structure together.

But what about the plants? Well, in the porch attached to her house, Beach began to plant seeds. Her sister across town was also propagating. By the end of April, the porch was bulging and plants were still growing. So with the greenhouse nearing completion, plants were moved outside, one 4-wheeler load at a time, she said.

Beach's next step was to figure out how to get people to buy all of her plants. She said she praises the Lord for the idea of giving the plants away. She made her plants available for free to the public and instead decided to allow individuals to leave a donation. Over the last six weeks, locals have taken plants to give them new homes and left their donations.

Beach and her sister Nita Schallenberger are extremely grateful for the support of the project. Serendipity Gardens has raised over $1,200, all of which will be donated to Ekalaka Bible Church and the local VFW Auxiliary, where it will be used for scholarships and programs in the community.

On Tuesday, only a few of Beach's plants remained at the greenhouse. When asked if she would do the program again next year, Beach said that she wasn't ruling it out. In fact, she's even considering adding a second greenhouse.

"I'm not burned out yet," she said.