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The Virginia Gardener Nutrient Management Education Program addressed non-point, urban-runoff pollution of Virginia's streams, estuaries, and groundwater, and included a calendar aimed at alerting the garden consumer to the connection between overfertilization and water pollution. Over 15,000 calendars were requested.
A survey of calendar recipients was conducted. 1500 persons were chosen at random, a subsequent address check confirmed adequate distribution among the regions of the state. The response rate was 28%. Responses indicated that 91.3% of those surveyed had changed their garden practices in some way because of the calendar. 90% of the respondents indicated that the calendar had shown them a connection between proper gardening techniques and water quality, with 82.2% indicating the calendar had been moderately to greatly successful in showing them this connection.
The 1989 Virginia Gardener Calendar was an effective method of educating garden consumers about the connection between water quality and nutrient runoff, and cultural practices which lessen the need for fertilizer in the home garden.
A mass media water-quality program aimed at changing lawn and garden fertilization practices of homeowners successfully elicited responses from individuals by using local cooperative extension offices and newsletters. Traditional extension media tools, such as radio and news releases, were less successful in eliciting requests for further information. In addition, the program reached more people by transmitting the information in the form of a calendar than it reached in the first year through videotapes and slide sets created for use in public and Master Gardener training.