Extension
It Starts With Us
Improving Home Lawns, Landscapes & Flowers
Agriculture, Horticulture and Environmental Awareness
David Koester, Gina Ligon
Horticulture, Consumer and Home
About 150-200 new home owners move into Boone County every month. Surveys have shown that most of these people are interested in establishing or improving their lawn, landscape and flower gardens. Master Gardeners and other people attending Extension workshops have indicated a keen interest in ornamental horticulture classes. The Boone County Horticulture Advisory Committee has suggested numerous classes and workshops on annuals, perennials, landscape trees, shrubs, lawn and landscape pest control with reduced pesticides, landscape design, and lawn establishment and care.
*Environmental conditions (soil, air and water) will improve as homeowners and hobby gardeners implement best management practices, stop applying excessive fertilizers, lime and pesticides, and put into practice more environmental conservation practices.
* The environment will become cleaner, safer and healthier as homeowners are educated regarding proper pesticide selection and use on lawns and landscapes to prevent pesticide drift, soil and water contamination, and the over-use of pesticides in general.
* Communities and environment will improve as individuals adopt environmental conservation practices to conserve soil, clean air and water, such as mulching, composting, recycling, soil testing, rain gardens, rain barrels, using cover crops, organic pesticides (when effective), etc.
* Property values and real estate values will increase as residential landscapes and communities are beautified and enhanced by new plantings of superior, colorful flowers, shrubs, and trees, and as lawns are improved as well. Property values will increase in response to proper tree pruning, correct lawn and landscape fertilizing, mowing, pest and disease control, mulching and planting techniques, resulting in healthier, faster-growing, longer-lived trees, shrubs and ornamental flowers in home and commercial landscapes.
*Extension horticulture class participants and backyard gardeners will realize significant financial saving or gain, increased profits or a higher standard of living resulting from implementing Extension horticulture recommendations, as they learn how to be more efficient, acquire specific job skills or even a better job, lower their energy consumption, conserve and become better managers of their resources. Those doing their own home landscaping, lawn care and gardening will save money by learning to better manage their plants and thereby reduce the need for some of the costly pesticides, and by not applying un-needed lime and fertilizers, based on soil test results.
*Participants' personal and professional lives, and the community at large will be enhanced as individuals gain decision-making skills, life skills, problem-solving skills, improved communication and leadership skills as they grow in knowledge and confidence, and as they take a more active role in addressing significant community issues and as they offer more volunteer service to the community.
*Communities will become healthier and safer as individuals realize personal health benefits (i.e., stress relief, locally growing and eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, personal weight loss when needed, better overall health, more personal satisfaction in life, etc.) due to working with plants, gardening, observing nature, enhancing and beautifying the environment, finding a fulfilling job they enjoy, and implementing safer practices relating to the use of equipment and pesticides. More people will receive health benefits such as weight loss and stress relief as they get more outdoor exercise, fresh air and sunshine from working in their own lawn, landscape and flower beds as a pleasant pastime or hobby.
*Backyard gardeners will stop over-applying pesticides, lime and fertilizer in relation to protecting the environment (soil, air and water).
*Clientele will plant better, varieties of landscape trees, shrubs, flowers and turfgrass which are more resistant to clay soil, drought, insects and diseases. These outstanding plants will create a more beautiful landscape, which will enhance property values.
*Class attendees will practice proper cultural care of plants in their home landscape (proper planting, pruning, mulching, watering and mowing) to decrease the need for chemical sprays of herbicides, fungicides and insecticides, thus saving them money and improving the environment.
*Gardeners will change how they plant, prune, mulch, water and control pests on their trees and shrubs, resulting in healthier, showier plants. More organic controls will be used.
*Home owners will stop catching grass clippings, and will thereby realize the need for less lawn fertilizer, which will save them money.
Homeowners will use soil sample information to improve their gardens.
*Class participants will learn new tree planting and pruning skills.
*Backyard gardeners will learn the benefits of not catching grass clippings, not planting too deep, not mulching too deep, not over-watering, not applying excess fertilizer or pesticides, and planting the right plant in the right place.
*Students will learn how to properly seed, mow and fertilize a lawn, how to select the best plant varieties, and what month is the best time to do certain plant care practices such as planting, mulching, fertilizing, pruning, and deadheading of flowers.
Initial Outcome: Participants will learn basic horticulture knowledge to apply into their own landscape.
Indicator: Participants will begin to apply knowledge basic horticulture skills into their landscape.
Method: Post survey
Timeline: As programs occur
Intermediate Outcome:
Indicator: Participants continue applying horticulture skills to their landscapes and lawns.
Method: Post survey
Timeline: As programs occur
Long-term Outcome:
Indicator: Participants continue applying horticulture skills to their landscapes and began saving money.
Method: Post survey
Timeline: As programs occur
Audience: Community members, home gardeners, hobby gardeners, Master Gardeners and Farmers Market growers interested in growing fruits and vegetables.
Project or Activity: Growing Fruit and Vegetable Programs
Content or Curriculum: Participants will learn how to grow fruits and vegetables in Kentucky and the best selection of varieties.
Inputs: Horticulture Agent and Horticulture Technicians, using researched-based information for the University of Kentucky.
Date: Fall 2019/Spring 2021
Audience: Community members, home gardeners, hobby gardeners, Master Gardeners and Farmers Market growers interested in growing fruits and vegetables.
Project or Activity: Growing and Pruning of Tree Fruits and Small Fruits at Home
Content or Curriculum: How to select resistant varieties, correctly plant, water fertilizer. prune and control pests and diseases to safely produce a high-quality produce at a reasonable cost, while protecting and conserving the environment.
Inputs:Horticulture Agent and Horticulture Technicians, using researched-based information for the University of Kentucky.
Date: March, April, May 2021
Audience: Children from the age of 7-12 will have hands-on experience learning about horticulture and the environment.
Project or Activity: Horticulture Kids Camp
Content or Curriculum: Children from the age of 7-12 will have hands-on experience learning about horticulture and the environment.
Inputs:Horticulture Technicians, using researched-based information for the University of Kentucky.
Date: July 2020
Audience:Community members, home gardeners, hobby gardeners, Master Gardeners and Farmers Market growers interested in growing fruits and vegetables.
Project or Activity: Fruit grafting programs
Content or Curriculum: Participants will learn how to successfully graft apple. peach and pear trees.
Inputs:Horticulture Agent and Horticulture Technicians, using researched-based information for the University of Kentucky.
Date: April, May 2020
Audience:Community members, home gardeners, hobby gardeners, Master Gardeners and Farmers Market growers interested in growing fruits and vegetables.
Project or Activity: Horticulture Demonstration Garden Programs
Content or Curriculum: Tour the gardens, learn the varieties planted for the growing season, and explain the equipment used to help maintain the gardens.
Inputs:Horticulture Agent and Horticulture Technicians, using researched-based information for the University of Kentucky.
Date: April, May, June 2021 July, August, September, October 2020
Audience:Community members, home gardeners, hobby gardeners, Master Gardeners and Farmers Market growers interested in growing fruits and vegetables.
Project or Activity: Cut Flower Demonstrations
Content or Curriculum: Using the Demonstration Gardens and teaching people how to grow their own cutting gardens and design a simple bouquet.
Inputs:Horticulture Agent and Horticulture Technicians, using researched-based information for the University of Kentucky.
Date: August and September 2020, Feb, March 2021
Author: David Koester
Major Program: Horticulture, Consumer and Home
Making the best of a tough situation was our answer for reaching clientele during Covid. Due to meeting restrictions we utilized virtual means for the following classes. " Selecting the Best Vegetable Varieties" class was well attended due to families looking for activities in the safety of their homes. Vegetable Gardening was extremely popular due to peoples fear of food insecurity. Our goal is to continue contact with this group and make them lifetime gardeners. 2 tree planting class
