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2002 MG Projects SUB POW: 5.K.1 Master Gardener Programs
Lebanon County Master Gardeners offered a series of eleven horticultural classes through their Master Gardener Adult Education Program. Some of the topics included winterizing the water garden, ornamental grasses, forcing bulbs, herb gardening, and square foot gardening. Participants learned proper plant selection, IPM for vegetable and herb gardens and other environmentally sound practices. Monroe County Master Gardeners took part in the Pocono Garlic Festival this year which attracted 20,000 people. The volunteers provided information on growing garlic, selecting deer-resistant plants, and other topics. A special activity provided an educational and entertaining view of garlic for children; 250 children participated. The Master Gardeners distributed 2461 fact sheets on deer resistant plants, garlic repellent, and garlic culture. Master Gardeners in Pike County sponsored an all-day garden school called "Garden Days". There were 81 participants; topics presented included organic gardening, watershed protection, culinary herbs, water gardens, historic landscapes, tree care, composting, raised bed gardening, and deer-resistant plants. An evaluation showed that an average of 88% of the participants in each workshop planned to use the learned information in future garden projects. Montgomery County Master Gardeners wanted to reach a wider audience than that which usually attends a one-day gardening school. They scheduled classes at wide variety of locations throughout their county. As a result, Master Gardeners reached over 4000 residents through classes and demonstrations located at township buildings and businesses throughout the county. The classes included a wide range of topics including drought tolerant plants, composting, organic gardening, integrated pest management, and accessible gardening. Master Gardeners in Wyoming County held their first annual "Spring into Gardening Symposium" in April. The new event had 120 participants. Topics presented included gardening for the elderly and physically challenged, container gardening, vegetable gardening, water gardening, and landscape layout. Evaluation results showed that 98% of the participants gained new ideas and techniques in various aspects of horticulture. The Lehigh/Northampton County Master Gardener Program participates in the development of a garden supplement published with The Morning Call newspaper each year. This year, volunteers wrote articles concerning naturalizing the lawn, hydrangeas, wildlife damage, vegetable gardening, lawn seed mixes, and other topics. Over 250,000 people received the newspaper. A mail-in survey included in the supplement yielded 31 responses. Nearly all of the respondents reported learning some to a great deal about each topic included in the supplement. Master
Gardeners in Blair County staffed the Blair County Extension Office's
Penn State Garden Line and provided fact-based information to over 238
residents in 2002. Two of these Master Gardeners also went to Cambria
County to train their Master Gardeners in the approach and methodologies
that the Blair County Master Gardeners utilize while staffing the Penn
State Garden Line.
The statewide Master Gardener In-service was held in Meadville and was hosted by Master Gardeners in Crawford County. Over 150 Master Gardeners from all over the state attended. Fifteen different classes were offered including hydroponics, container gardening, native plants, plasticulture, garden writing, nut trees, hostas, and deciduous shrubs for four seasons. Most of the speakers and many of the topics were new to the volunteers, and participants gained new insight and knowledge at the in-service. In addition, the entire Penn State Master Gardener Program benefited from the opportunity to observe the very active and successful Crawford County program housed in the far western part of the state. Schuylkill County hosted its first class of Master Gardeners this year. All 31 volunteers completed training in January. In a post-training survey, 91% of the trainees indicated that they would implement two or more garden practices that they learned in training. The areas most often mentioned were soil testing/amendment and composting. In Luzerne County,
thirteen new Master Gardeners completed basic training. All of the volunteers
improved their overall scores from the pre to post test by an average
of 17.5%. Participants evaluated their learning success by indicating
their level of knowledge before and after attending each of the twelve
sessions on specific topics. The participants indicated a gain in knowledge
in every topic. SUB POW 5.K.2: Green Industry/Consumer Research
Lehigh and Northampton County Master Gardeners taght a class on "Landscaping on a Budget" including using four-season plants, saving money on landscaping, and plants worth the extra money. Thirty-three people attended the class and 28 of them reported feeling confident in selecting the right plants for their conditions after attending the class. Master Gardeners in
Fayette County planted two marigold trial gardens to illustrate
mulching techniques, the effects of plant spacing, and variety differences.
A total of 350 people viewed the plots at weekly tours. Regular traffic
on Route 119 could observe the gardens and several garden clubs viewed
the plants' progress over the summer. A photo article was published in
the local newspaper putting Cooperative Extension and the Master Gardener
Program in the spotlight.
Schuylkill County Master Gardeners assisted Extension Agents in staffing the Hort Line phones two days a week from April to September. They fielded 475 home lawn, landscape, and garden questions via phone calls, e-mail, and walk-ins. Master Gardeners distributed 205 home hort fact sheets to clientele. Over 800 people in
Franklin County visited or phoned a Master Gardener this past year
in order to seek help with garden problems. IPM options for control were
recommended.
Master Gardeners in
Luzerne County assisted their extension agent in presenting a Landscape
Seminar to 116 participants. The seminar focused on diseases of trees
and shrubs. Over half of the participants reported that they improved
their knowledge of diseases and their ability to identify diseases a great
extent.
Master Gardeners in Lancaster County hosted nearly 400 people at their Trial Garden Open House. Several types of gardening were on display (container gardens, native plant garden, butterfly garden, and cottage garden) and Master Gardeners were present in each area. The volunteers taught pruning, proper planting, selecting plant varieties, and pesticide safety. Master Gardeners in Luzerne County collaborated with the Luzerne County Community College Horticulture Department staff to establish a Trial Garden at the college. An educational workshop was held for landscapers; 16 participants were introduced to new plant varieties and to the plant evaluation process. Schuylkill
County Master Gardeners established a Trial Garden next to the Penn State
Schuylkill Campus this spring. An elaborate ground breaking ceremony welcomed
local officials, community supporters, and the news media to the garden
site. 200 educational brochures were picked up by visitors to the garden;
the brochures were distributed in a decorative mailbox placed in the garden.
Another 300 brochures were distributed by the volunteers. Westmoreland
County Master Gardeners planted and maintained a demonstration vegetable
garden on the Donohoe Center property in Greensburg. The display garden
was presented as a topic at the Master Gardener Fall Workshop. Twelve
participants attended the workshop where they had to opportunity to see
and taste numerous varieties of tomatoes, peppers, onion, and squash.
The participants indicated that they would grow some of the vegetable
varieties in their home gardens in 2003.
Monroe County Master Gardeners designed a landscape garden at the Regional Salvation Army center so that residents, clients, staff, and visitors could observe landscape practices in an urban environment. Master Gardeners taught Salvation Army adult and teen volunteers how to plant the landscape. A walkway was installed and mulch was applied to illustrate water conservation and weed control. Master Gardeners in Delaware County worked jointly with the Family Living Agent and other volunteers to present and all-day workshop in the city of Chester. The event, "Nurturing the Home…Inside and Out" had 126 participants. Four garden-related sessions were held including pruning and planting woody ornamentals, growing herbs, container gardening, and garden preparation. Franklin County
Master Gardeners taught 30 homeowners how to develop their own landscape
plan including proper plant selection and landscape design. The Landscape
Clinic included information on annual and perennial flowers, trees and
shrubs, native plants, and hardscapes. As a result of the class, over
20 design plans were completed by the participants and evaluated by Master
Gardeners.
Master Gardeners in forty-four counties worked in conjunction with the Department of Environmental Protection to teach composting to over 5000 people this year. Each participant attending a compost workshop taught by the volunteers received a free compost bin from DEP. A follow-up survey found that an overwhelming majority of participants gained an understanding of the compost process and effectively increased their ability to compost backyard waste. As a result of the program, 88% of the participants stated that they planned to compost materials that they hadn't composted in the past. This Compost Bin Project received the Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence. Philadelphia
County Master Gardeners manned a display at the Philadelphia Harvest Show
to explain the compost process and publicize future compost training opportunities.
The volunteers reached 126 people at the show and encouraged a 20% increase
in registrations for compost workshops.
Butler County Master Gardeners developed a vegetable demonstration garden to show various methods of growing vegetables in a home garden. They incorporated a colored-mulch experiment. The demonstration garden committee worked with the Butler County Juvenile Court Services' WORC program and taught youth how to raise and harvest vegetables. Produce was donated to local food cupboards. The Master Gardener program was recognized by Juvenile Court Services as a community service site at their annual banquet. York County Master Gardeners worked with the Crispus Attucks Development Center to teach tenants how to create backyard gardens tailor-made to each resident's interests and needs. Nine tenants and eight Master Gardeners created gardens in 5 backyards and one public area. A public tour was held and was attended by Mayor Brenner. One tenant reported that she learned skills that she will use when she purchase her own home. Neighboring properties have been cleaned up and other gardens planted as a result of the Master Gardeners' examples. Six Master Gardeners from the Lehigh/Northampton program assisted the Clubhouse community center which serves people with mental illness. The volunteers helped Clubhouse members build two raised bed gardens outside and a grow-light area indoors. Hands-on classes were taught on houseplant care and planting, weeding, and harvesting a vegetable garden. Because of the garden beds, the Clubhouse has been nominated for a Property of Distinction award in the downtown Allentown area. Franklin County
Master Gardeners worked with migrant families, Juvenile Probation, and
mental health groups to establish, grow, and harvest their own garden
areas amidst the volunteers' demonstration gardens. The 'guest' gardeners
learned to grow vegetables without the use of chemical pesticides. The
participants from Juvenile Probation donated produce to the Salvation
Army; other guests harvested produce that was used in their own meal preparation.
Carbon County Master Gardeners helped develop several garden projects at the Franklin Elementary School including a vegetable garden, bird and butterfly gardens, nature trails, and a patriotic tulip bed. The gardens are used for science, ecology, and technology instruction. 300 students attend the school. Master Gardeners taught classes on seed germination, plant propagation, plant identification and classification, and grounds maintenance. Master Gardeners in Luzerne County reached 432 students by teaching the "Meet the Plants" 4-H project in various elementary schools. They also helped teach soil-related topics to 362 sixth grade students attending the Conservation District's Environmental Education Field Days. Bucks County Master Gardeners hosted a three-day gardening program for 18 children ages 6-8 at the Levittown Regional Library. The children learned how seeds grow, how to plant tubers Carbon County Master Gardeners worked with the 4-H program and held the second annual Pocono Great Plant Fair. The volunteers taught sessions on edible flowers, making a mini terrarium, worm composting, and many other topics. Nearly 80 people attended. Master Gardeners in Westmoreland County taught gardening to teens in an area Youth Detention Center. The number of participants varied each week from 10 to 25. The kids learned how to prepare the garden soil, and plant and maintain garden beds. Two Master Gardeners
from Allegheny County converted a vacant lot in Pittsburgh into
the Green Millennium Children's Garden. Each Wednesday during the summer,
the volunteers worked with children and adults in the garden. The Master
Gardeners received a National Garden Association Youth Garden Grant, a
Three Rivers Community Grant, and 200 bulbs from The Mailorder Gardening
Association.
Carbon County Master Gardeners visit the Palmerton Senior Center to teach gardening on a regular basis. On average, there are 12 clients per session. The seniors have learned garden methods and are able to maintain garden beds on a day to day basis. Beaver County Master Gardeners assisted at the Villa of the Sisters of Saint Joseph Nursing Facility in Baden. They helped the residents make wheelchair accessible container gardens that attracted butterflies and hummingbirds. Six Master Gardeners from Beaver County taught a group of 11 mentally challenged students how to select plants and establish a landscape. The students were able to landscape a home for Habitat for Humanity. Cumberland County Master Gardeners worked with 12 residents from the Claremont Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The residents became interested in having a garden after participating in presentations by Master Gardeners on antique garden tools and on creating mini-terraria. The residents grew their own vegetables at a newly created garden on the center grounds. Produce was harvested and sold in the center's gift shop; proceeds were collected for next year's garden supplies. Three Master Gardeners
in Lawrence County visited the Westfield facility for Mentally
Challenged adults. Twice a month, from May to August, the volunteers assisted
8 residents to plant and maintain their individual raised bed gardens.
The participants learned to recognize garden insects and the plant damage
caused by the pests. Return to Master Gardener Main Page
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