Success StoryActive and Engaged: Community Outreach Strategies for Extension Horticulture and COVID-19



Active and Engaged: Community Outreach Strategies for Extension Horticulture and COVID-19

Author: Sharon Flynt

Planning Unit: Scott County CES

Major Program: Home & Consumer Horticulture

Plan of Work: Youth and Adults Agriculture and Natural Resources Education, Adaptation, & Sustainability

Outcome: Intermediate Outcome

In March 2020, Kentucky Cooperative Extension began working remotely no in person meetings.  Thus began the exploration of ways to engage clients in horticulture activities at home.  The Scott Co. cooperative Extension Horticulture agent created video information, webinars and hands-on packets and plants to pick up   at home.

How to Grow an Easter Basket:  A step-by-step PowerPoint video in time for the Easter Holidays, 2020.

Garden in a Sack with SNAP Education Assistant - packed SNAP Ed  market bags with information from SNAP Education Gardening series and seeds and information on how to grow from Horticulture Program.  They were given away as participants came in to pay space rent at a local trailer park.

Creating a Pollinator Garden with Herbs video – created in conjunction with the Scott Co. Public Library

Grow Mr. Grasshead – an activity targeting families with children.   Youth would learn about growing and recording keeping while creating a funny face on a pot with Grass hair.

Successful Tomatoes Trial II – a continuation of an in-person Successful Tomatoes class given in Winter, 2020 at the extension office,   where participants learned about tomato plant diseases prevalent in Kentucky gardens that kept them frustrated and unable to grow a successful crop. The group learned about disease resistant cultivars. In successful tomatoes Trial II, the agent grew disease resistant tomatoes plants, and created a handout that included information ab out tomatoes and the varieties they were taking along with a survey to keep track of as they grow.  Will continue until the end of tomato season.

Grow Your Own Thanksgiving Pie - When a local farmer donated unused sweet potato slips, participants who responded to Facebook notification received a bundle of slips, along with how to grow and sweet potato recipes from the Plate it Up! Series.






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