The Charleston Area Children's Garden Project is a community-sponsored initiative affiliated with the Clemson Univ. Coastal Research and Education Center and the Landscapes for Learning Program. The Project transforms vacant lots and other unused spaces into neighborhood outdoor learning centers. Garden activities are free and open to all. The children plan, plant, and tend the garden under the supervision and guidance of adult Garden Leaders. Whatever is grown, the children take home. A “sidewalk learning session” is held in the garden each week. At these sessions, the garden manager, parents, neighbors, or visitors teach the youngsters about garden-related topics from insects to siphons, from origami to pickling, and a multitude of other topics designed to stimulate learning and child participation. The Project is designed to give children a hands-on learning experience outside the classroom setting, to make neighborhoods more attractive, and to build a sense of community. The Project is totally funded by grant monies and has grown from one garden in 2000 to ten gardens in 2004. Gardens are planted with the involvement of neighborhood associations, the Boys and Girls Clubs, the Homeless Shelter, and in conjunction with after-school programs. The Project makes use of such resources as The Growing Classroom and the Junior Master Gardener Teaching Guide. An array of program materials has been developed that are designed for use in the coastal communities of South Carolina.
Master Gardeners are volunteers who assist local cooperative extension horticulture and related program efforts by receiving training and conducting educational activities and projects. Participants generally receive training and volunteer within a 1-year period. The emphasis has shifted to longer retention of trained, experienced Master Gardeners. There are several advantages in retaining volunteers. Volunteers with established knowledge who “know the ropes” serve as spokespersons for the program to recruit additional volunteers and as mentors for new class members. Since 1980, Master Gardeners in Johnson County, Ran., have served the 300,000 population base of the southwestern Kansas City suburban area through the county extension horticulture program. About 35% of the members of the first classes are still active volunteer participants after 10 years. Retention is encouraged by emphasizing that volunteer time is an opportunity for continued learning, rather than a “payback” for training received. An advisory board and committee structure encourages “ownership” of the program, and an advanced training program is offered to retained volunteers. Developing ideas for quality volunteer activities is continuously stressed. As new volunteers start the program, their abilities and skills in nonhorticultural areas that may be useful are assessed, such as woodworking, photography, speaking, leadership, and art. Applicants are screened to limit class size to 20 to 25 participants.
Master Gardener programs were conducted through 10 of Maine's 16 county offices in 1993. In an effort to reduce the number of identical presentations given by the limited number of instructors, 5 of the 10 sessions were conducted via interactive television (ITV), while the remaining 5 sessions were held locally. Participants (n=215) were surveyed about their learning experience in fall 1993. Data compare the local ITV audience vs. 7 distant audiences viewing sessions in real time vs. 2 audiences viewing taped sessions at a later date, on test scores of material presented, and on attitudes about the program. Data also summarize the types of projects on which Master Gardener volunteer hours were applied, and participants' attitudes about how volunteer programs could be made more effective.
The Master Gardener Program in Florida began in 1979 with the three pilot counties of Brevard, Dade and Manatee. Today, 48 of the state's 67 counties manage this volunteer program. Data will be reported as to how many volunteers have been trained and the hours they volunteered each year, along with the percentage of time agents or program assistants estimate they devoted to the program each year since 1989. The activities of the volunteers for each year will also be depicted. These indicate a change in need by county agents over the years for the services of their volunteers.
Nearly 300 Master Gardeners (MGs) who stopped volunteering were surveyed as to why they did not continue in the program. The fivequestion survey was mailed to people who had not turned in volunteer hours for the previous two years. Forty-seven percent or 131 useable surveys were returned and tabulated. A majority of the respondents, 73 (56%), indicated “no time” as the primary reason for not volunteering. Illness or personal reasons accounted for 30 responses (23%), and 20 people (15%) indicated they were disappointed in the program. Eighty-one percent rated the program as excellent or good; 79% indicated they would recommend the program to others.
Consumer horticulture surveys conducted 7 years apart examined the scope and trends in home horticulture in Olmsted County, MN. Master Gardener volunteers were trained to conduct the telephone surveys. Landscape horticulture was important in terms of numbers of people involved and reasons for gardening. Fewer people viewed vegetable gardening as important. Young people were less likely to garden than older ones. Lack of space was the biggest barrier to gardening.
It was concluded extension should expand newspaper and newsletter media efforts. Development of cooperative programs with garden centers and other agencies was suggested. Opportunities exist for training consumers in pesticide safety and best management practices for horticulture.
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.
Indiana Master Gardeners were surveyed to determine their attitudes and practices related to pesticide use in the home garden and landscape. The data are of interest for the purpose of preparing educational programs for Master Gardeners and the public. Of the 1054 surveys mailed, 53.8% were returned with usable responses. When questioned about protective clothing worn during spray application of pesticides, most respondents indicated that long sleeves were not worn (57%), that long pants were worn (71%), that protective shoes were worn (76%) and that breathing protection was not used (80%). A median response of 0% of pesticides were reported to be stored in a locked cabinet. However, of those pesticides that were not in a locked cabinet, 74% were stored at least 4 feet off the floor. Master Gardeners with children reported locked storage of pesticides more often than those without children. Responses concerning disposal of containers indicate an area for future education. Only 54% of Master Gardeners reported rinsing their pesticide containers prior to disposing of them, while 73% indicated that the containers were included in the regular trash collection. Responses often varied with age, gender, and other demographic characteristics of the respondents.
The Master Gardener program in Monmouth County began in 1999. In order to justify the initiation of such a time and resource intensive program for Rutgers Univ., detailed records of participant activities throughout the county were compiled. The educational program consists of several components related to horticultural science. These classroom topics are basic horticulture, environmental factors for plant growth, soils and fertilizers, plant propagation, vegetable gardening, integrated pest management, turfgrass systems and practical horticultural techniques. Since 1999, 145 graduates have passed through the program and contributed a total of 35,274 volunteer hours. The key horticultural program segments that result in direct return on this substantial investment include: 1) horticultural helpline—answering home gardening questions; 2) horticultural help—promoting gardening programs in schools, parks, etc; 3) Community outreach—lectures and demonstrations, hort therapy; 4) horticultural research at university extension and education farms; and 5) laboratory assistance - plant and pest identification, test measurements. The calculated value of such volunteer help at $15.43 per hour leads to a horticultural contribution of $544,277 over 5 years. It is important to realize that many key programs would not have even been initiated without the ability to quickly assemble large numbers of skilled volunteers on a part-time basis. The training program and hands-on experience made these Master Gardeners capable of detailed data collection from ornamental and agricultural plant studies. This impact expands and synergizes the plant science programs of the professional staff on both a county and statewide basis.
The Boulder County Jail Garden was conceived to provide inmates at the jail an opportunity for community service time during their sentence. The jail kitchen needed fresh produce, but costs were rising and variety of choices suffered. In 1994 the Boulder County Jail staff contacted the Colorado Master Gardener™ program (MG), Boulder County, to work on a joint project in tending a 1.1-acre food production garden. Net pounds of produce have increased steadily over succeeding years from 6,300 lbs. in 1997 to 19,100 lbs. in 2003. Market value of 2003 crop is $22,700.00. Communities must be willing to have a volunteer group that can commit to long-term time investment in working the garden each year. MG's participate as mentors to inmates. Discussion outlines activities and critical components for a successful program.