McLean County CES

Title:

Home Horticulture

MAP:

Improving Home Horticulture Practices

Agents Involved:

Gabby Seymour

MAJOR PROGRAM 1:

Home & Consumer Horticulture

MAJOR PROGRAM 2:

Backyard Streams

MAJOR PROGRAM 3:

Local Food Systems

MAJOR PROGRAM 4:

Sustainable Agriculture

Situation:

The demand for home horticulture information continues to increase as more and more home owners are wanting to produce their own food sources, purchase locally grown foods, increase property value through lawn/landscape and focus more on the environmental issues.

Long-Term Outcomes:

Increase number of vendors, variety of local food products and profits at county Farmers' Market.

Fruit/Vegetable producers partner with local school system to provide fresh, local produce for school lunches.

Increase number of home owners planting, maintaining and harvesting their own gardens and/or increase participation in community garden projects.

Assist home owners in maintaining/improving property value.

Increase number of home owners placing value on water resources and implementing best management practices for lawn care/landscape/gardens.

Intermediate Outcomes:

Increase participation in county Farmers' Market.

Diversify types and varieties of produce grown.

Create communication lines between producers and school system concerning purchasing local produce for school lunches.

Increase number of home owners utilizing extension programming and publications concerning home gardening/lawn care/landscape.

Create gardens plans.

Create lawn care/landscape plans.

Implement one or two best management practices for gardens/lawn/landscapes.

Increase number of home owners doing soil sampling.

Initial Outcomes:

Create awareness of county Farmers' Market and its benefits to producers and consumers.

Introduce farm to school program to producers and school system.

Increase awareness of extension educational programs and publications concerning home horticulture practices.

Identify benefits of home gardening.

Describe how lawn care/landscape can maintain/increase property value.

Identify problem areas in urban watersheds/best management practices for home owners.

Create awareness of benefits of soil sampling for home lawn/landscape and gardens.

Evaluation:

Initial Outcome: Home owners will be able to understand where and how they can access information about home gardening.
Indicator: Increase in participation of extension related educational programs and number of clients utilizing extension service for home gardening/lawn care and landscape issues.
Method: Observation, Self-Reporting
Timeline: 6-12 months

Intermediate Outcome: Home owners will create a garden/lawn care/landscape plant.
Indicator: Increase in number of home owners working with extension to create plans for their gardens/lawns/landscapes.
Method: Self-Reporting, Evaluations, Program Participation
Timeline: 1-2 years

Long-term Outcome: Home owners placing value on water resources and implementing best management practices for lawn care/landscape/gardens.
Indicator: Increase in number of home owners implementing best management practices.
Method: Self-Reporting, Evaluations, Visual Observation During Client Visits
Timeline: 2-4 years

Learning Opportunities:

Audience: Home Owners

Project or Activity: Horticulture Educational Programs

Content or Curriculum: Home Gardening, Lawn Care/Maintenance, Landscape Maintenance

Inputs: Agents, Specialist, Extension Pubs, Research Trials

Date: Continuous

Audience: General Public

Project or Activity: County Farmers' Market & Market Promotional Days

Content or Curriculum: Promoting market & purchasing locally grown produce, Plate It Up, SNAP-Ed Educational Materials

Inputs: Agents, Farmers' Market Vendors, Extension Pubs,

Date: Summer of 17-20

Audience: Home Owners

Project or Activity: Extension Educational Programming

Content or Curriculum: Addressing Water Issues/Backyard Streaming

Inputs: Agents, Specialist, Extension Pubs, Ag Water Quality Plans, Waters Laboratory

Date: Continuous

Success Stories