1. Be Healthy, Grow
Your Own
Beth Shephard & Linda Seals
Brevard County UF/IFAS Extension
1
2. Why We Do This Class
Rising
grocery
prices
Healthier Food safety
eating concerns
Requests
for
Information
Increased
Interest in
Sustainability
organics
2
4. Objectives
Increase confidence in Increase consumption of
vegetable gardening fresh vegetables
• Newcomers to Florida are • Increasing fruits and
challenged by our unusual vegetables increases
growing season health benefits.
• Water quality/quantity • People have heard so
issues many different things
• Many people do not know about what foods are safe.
where to start • People do not know how
to prepare “new”
vegetables so they don’t
consume them.
4
5. The Class
• 12 Weeks Addresses different learning styles
• 2-hour lecture
Visual
• 2-4 hours in the
garden
Kinesthetic Auditory
5
6. The Class
Participants
• Nearly 80 in each class
48 Plots
• 20 x 20 foot
• Usually more than one person per
plot 6
7. The Participants
• They can access the
garden anytime.
• They can bring their
own plants and seeds
if they want to grow
things not on our list
Hands-on class sessions are • They are encouraged
monitored by Master Gardeners
who walk around and provide
to be creative, and to
guidance. experiment with new
vegetables 7
12. What They Get
Educational Florida Vegetable handbook
Materials
Loupe
Pest ID booklet
Extension marketing materials
Binder of information
Growing Seeds
Materials
Transplants
Soil amendments
Irrigation supplies
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Tools & equipment
13. Master Gardener Involvement
Growing Assisting
Teaching
13
Master Gardeners volunteer over 2,000 hours per class!
14. Master Gardeners assist with every phase of the class. Here they are 14
organizing plants to be delivered to the plots. On the first day of class,
participants complete a checklist of the plants they want to grow.
16. Resources
What we did Alternatives
• Land • Land
• We have 2-5 acres • Could downsize and have
• Volunteers one plot for everyone
• Master Gardeners • Volunteers
• Expertise in gardening • Master Gardeners
• Master Gardeners • Expertise in gardening
• Other agents, specialists • Master Gardeners
• Other agents, specialists
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17. Resources
What we did Alternatives
• Production facility • Production facility
• Built a greenhouse funded • Purchase or seek
by a grant and class fees donations for
• Preparing the site seeds/transplants
• Solicited help from other • Preparing the site
agencies • Solicit help from other
• Purchased a tractor in agencies and/or farmers
November
• Paid to haul mushroom
compost
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18. Evaluation
• Before and after
reflective evaluations
are conducted on the
last day of class and 6
months later.
• The following data
collected from a 6-
month, before and
after reflective
evaluation of the first
class participants.
• Respondents = 41 18
19. Outcomes
I am confident I can grow my
own vegetables
“Just a note to let you
know that I am still getting
tomatoes and Brussels Before
sprouts out of my plot 22%
#6! Bigger news is that I
have started my own
garden on my property. I
will be planting this March
on a 12’ by 8’ plot. Wish After
me luck!” 78%
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20. Outcomes
I use an Integrated Pest Management Program
Before
24%
After
76%
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22. Outcomes
I consider the health benefits of eating fresh
vegetables
Before
After
49%
51%
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23. Outcomes
I will preserve my excess produce
Before
27%
After
73%
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24. Our Challenges
• Program is too large for
one agent to manage
• Irrigation issues – who is
going to make those
repairs?
• Pest issues – who is going
to apply pesticides?
• Questions, questions, ques
tions!!
• Must utilize Master
Gardeners to the max!
• Canning/preserving classes
for a large group are
challenging
• Cooking classes for a large
group…challenging! 24
25. Our Challenges
• Weather
• In Florida, cold can be
an issue
• Classroom
Management
• Large class = too many
questions from
individuals. Instructors
must be able to
manage the classroom
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27. Changes for the next class
• Install different irrigation system to reduce maintenance issues
• Incorporate more hands-on activities
• Fertilizer lesson moved outdoors to demonstrate calculation and
application methods
• Demonstrate seed sowing, planting, harvesting techniques
• Include a lesson on Extension: how we work, who we are, how
participants can help us promote Extension in our county
• Offer more training classes for Master Gardeners to increase
participation
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28. So What?
Growing Participants learn how to properly
apply fertilizer and pesticides
Participants develop an appreciation
for gardening and nature
Participants teach others
Garden plots attract attention
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29. So What?
Healthy New appreciation for locally grown/fresh
food
Willing to eat vegetables they have never
tried
Learn how to cook healthier
Learn about food safety
Increased consumption of fresh vegetables 29
32. So What?
New friendships are formed
Other
Sense of community is developed
Extension gets positive publicity
Creates new things for Master Gardeners to
do
Recruiting opportunity for Master Gardener 32
programs
33. Take Home Messages
Growing your own Hands-on
food increases education
consumption enhances learning
Collaborating
Builds
increases
communities and
programming
relationships 33
efforts
Editor's Notes
This is a short list of topics.
Master Gardeners handle all of the transplant production from seed to plant. They assist by organizing and distributing seeds and transplants to participants. Participants complete a checklist of the number of plants and varieties that they want. MGs work off of that information. They also assist the classroom portion by organizing and assembling binders, registration, check-in, facilitating the class, making coffee, organizing refreshments, helping with the day-to-day classroom stuff. MGs provide educational support in the garden by circulating through and answering questions, offering suggestions, providing support, etc.
