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SUB POW: 5.K.1 Master Gardener Programs
Master Gardeners in Montgomery County have a speakers list consisting of 81 speakers and numerous topics. Over 285 presentations and demonstrations were made during the past year. Audiences included school groups, civic groups, garden clubs, mother’s groups, library associations, and summer camps. Of the programs that were evaluated, 66-100% of the respondents reported an increase in their knowledge of the subject matter. Mercer County Master Gardeners reached over 130 adults and 25 children when they held their plant sale and demonstration day. The adults learned how to compost household waste and to properly care for landscape plants. Children learned how to grow plants and flowers. Volunteers are available 40 hours a week in the Beaver County Master Gardener office to diagnose plant problems and answer horticultural questions. This year, Master Gardeners answered 1,613 questions on topics such as control options for plant insects and diseases, wildlife control, and production of fruits and berries. Delaware County Master Gardeners held their annual Home Gardeners School in March. There were 124 people in attendance. Topics included Landscape Design, Four Seasons of Flowering Shrubs, Hot Annuals and Cool Containers, The Autumn Garden, and Gardening Throughout the Year with Bulbs. More than forty Master Gardeners were involved in implementing the Home Garden School and the event has become an effective way to get the newest volunteers involved in the organization. In Luzerne County, Master Gardeners served as instructors for thirty inmates at the State Correctional Institute in Dallas, PA. The inmates were enrolled in a seven-week Introduction to Horticulture course that was a collaboration between Penn State Cooperative Extension and Penn State Wilkes-Barre Continuing Education. Inmates received instruction on Soils, Plant Science and Propagation, Vegetables, Annuals and Perennials, Lawn Care and Maintenance, Trees, and Flower Arranging. Washington County Master Gardeners turned their local fairgrounds into a self-guided tour of various horticultural practices. Eleven sites at the fairground served as demonstration areas. The tour was open to the public for ten days, and an informational booklet was distributed to visitors. Signs were posted at each site to indicate what was planted and what management procedures were followed. Approximately 10,000 people visited the fairgrounds to tour the gardens. Montgomery County Master Gardeners sponsored a plant sale to raise funds for Master Gardener outreach projects. The event was coupled with tours of the Montgomery County Learning Garden and demonstrations of various horticultural practices. Over 400 people attended the plant sale and over $9000 was raised to support the development and maintenance of the Learning Garden and other Master Gardener projects. Master Gardeners in Delaware County were hosted by two garden centers for a series of weekends in the spring. The volunteers gave demonstrations, distributed literature, and answered questions concerning plant and growing site selection, turfgrass management, landscape plants, raised bed and container gardening, garden design, and pest and disease management. They involved many volunteers and were able to assist county residents in making appropriate plant selections. SUB POW 5.K.2: Green Industry/Consumer Research
Bradford County Master Gardeners held an Open House at their county demonstration garden. 125 home gardeners attended. Nearly one-half of the participants said that they would plant at least one of the cultivars observed at the demonstration garden into their home garden next spring. Master Gardeners in Beaver County designed displays for the Big Knob and Hookstown fairs. All American Selection varieties of flowers were highlighted along with a wide variety of conifers. Visitors were able to observe the plants and ask questions pertaining to proper selection and establishment of landscape plants.
Crawford County Master Gardeners used the Penn State IPM Program’s BugMobile to interact with the public at the Crawford County Fair. The BugMobile is a Volkswagon beetle decorated to look like a ladybug beetle; a Master Gardener manned the ‘voice’ of the ladybug and taught the public about insects. A tent was set up next to the car and volunteers offered interactive children’s games and a story board about good and bad bugs for the garden. The inside display attracted more than 2150 adults and 1715 children. A Bucks County Master Gardener taught a semester course to 22 senior citizens at the Center for Learning in Retirement at Delaware Valley College. The course, "Science in Gardening", covered various aspects of botany, soil analysis, plant nutrition, and integrated pest management. Each student carried out a soil test for the first time and was convinced of its value.
Master Gardeners in Lehigh/Northampton counties designed their Lehigh Valley Flower Show exhibit to introduce homeowners to the Gardener Selects Trial Garden project. The three-day show drew approximately 10,000 visitors who were able to observe a small version of the trial gardens that are planted around the state. Gardener Selects plants were exhibited in bloom. Northumberland County Master Gardeners held an Open House at their Gardener Selects Trial Garden. Visitors were able to observe new and recommended plant varieties. Two educational sessions were held; they were "Composting" and "Attracting Butterflies".
Beaver County Master Gardeners provided leadership and direction for four garden projects at the historical Old Economy Village. Two herb gardens, a perennial garden, and a children’s garden were designed and planted. 14,000 people visited the gardens in 2000. Blair County Master Gardeners designed a demonstration garden at the Hollidaysburg Veterans Home so that residents, staff, and the public would be able to view new types of vegetables, beneficial borders, compost methods, ornamental grasses, benefits of mulch, and a kid’s garden. The volunteers reached 55 individuals who helped work on the garden or stopped to ask a question. Other contacts were visitors who observed the garden or picked up informational literature.
Penn State Master Gardeners played a vital role in a joint ‘compost education’ effort between Penn State University and the Department of Environmental Resources. The Backyard Composting program involved the participation of 60 counties; Master Gardener volunteers in these counties offered 215 composting education workshops attended by 7,405 individuals, and distributed 7,251 composting bins. The main objectives of the project were (1) to teach homeowners how to turn household and garden refuse into useable compost and (2) to lessen the amount of household and garden refuse entering area landfill sites. Participants gained understanding, knowledge, and abilities related to composting. Although many participants reported that they didn’t compost much in the past because they (1) didn’t know how to construct or purchase a compost bin and (2) didn’t know how to manage a compost pile, 90% said that they would begin to compost materials that they hadn’t composted before attending the workshop
A Lehigh County Master Gardener helped establish the Sunshine Community Garden at an area apartment complex. Seven residents became active participants in creating and maintaining the garden, and numerous others enjoy visiting the garden. The Master Gardener served as an advisor and held several educational programs in addition to the regular garden workday sessions. Topics included garden design, plant growth, plant pests and their control, harvesting, and composting. The Master Gardener assisted the participants in becoming members of the American Community Gardening Association and applying to become a certified backyard wildlife habitat. Lehigh/Northampton Master Gardeners worked with a group of twenty juveniles on probation who needed a community service project. The Master Gardeners planned a Food Bank Garden and raised many seedlings themselves; they taught the teenagers how to plant, maintain, and harvest a vegetable garden. In one growing season, 3000 pounds of vegetables were harvested and donated.
Master Gardeners in Montour County helped to create an outdoor classroom at the Mahoning-Cooper Elementary School. The volunteers worked with 270 elementary students who planted annuals, perennials, and woody ornamentals within a natural grove of trees. Benches were added and mulch was applied around the plants. The outdoor classroom was first used on April 19, 2001 to teach 100 school children the process and methods of composting. Berks County Master Gardeners took part in the annual Tulpehocken School District Agriculture Adventure day where all of the third graders within the school district visited a local farm. Six learning stations were set up at the farm, and Master Gardeners staffed the plant station. Children learned how plants grow from seed, what plants need in order to grow, and how to plant seeds and seedlings. The children also learned how to safely use a variety of garden tools. Each class planted a few rows of flowers and vegetables; by the end of the day, the combined 135 children had created an entire farm garden capable of supplying a large family. Students were invited to return to the farm with their families during the season to see the results of their efforts. Lawrence County Master Gardeners met with 30 Girl Scouts throughout the year to plan and plant butterfly gardens at Camp Elliott. The scouts learned how to design a garden and how to divide clumps of perennial flowers. They learned the importance of weeding and to use mulch for weed control. The gardens bloomed well during the summer and were enjoyed by the Girl Scouts as well as the butterflies. A Master Gardener in Westmoreland County worked with girls involved in the "Stepping Stones" program for troubled youth. The volunteer helped the girls to design and plant a butterfly garden. The girls learned to amend garden soil, to select the proper plants, and to set plants into the ground so that they will continue to grow. Master Gardener influence has given the troubled children some success in their lives; they have been able to see a project through to the end. Bucks County Master Gardeners held a three day, one hour per day, series of summer classes for children ages 6-8 at the Levittown Library. The series was designed to stimulate interest in gardening. The children took part i n hands-on activities and crafts that illustrated the structure of seeds and leaves, how corn germinates, and the many uses of corn and corn products. Bucks County Master Gardeners continued their involvement at the Venice Ashby Community Center located in a low-income community in Bristol Township. This summer, they spent a morning at the day camp held for 40 children ages 6-13. Master Gardeners introduced the youth to various types of seeds and the plant life cycle. The youth planted peanuts and sweet potatoes and made "paintings" of colorful beans. A Wyoming County Master Gardener was called to the Tunkhannock Middle School to teach the student garden club members how to purchase, plant, and take care of seeds. She attended club meetings at the school and answered many questions from the 42 students pertaining to the cultivation of their plants. The plants were later transplanted to a memorial garden outside of the school. Master Gardeners in Dauphin County worked with the CARE after-school program that reaches 50 children in grades 2-6. Most of the children are Hispanic; one fourth are African American. Master Gardeners volunteered once a week to teach the children about plants and to prepare a garden for spring planting. The children chose the flowers and vegetables that were planted. Adams County Master Gardeners taught horticulture to 4th and 5th graders enrolled in the Green Thumb Club in a Gettysburg elementary school. There were 6 to 8 students in the club each semester, and the club met six times each semester. Master Gardeners presented a different topic at each meeting; some of the topics included beneficial insects, worm bin composting, flower arranging, and planting seeds. Many students reported that the sessions were beneficial to them and their entire family.
Lebanon County Master Gardeners worked closely with a Recreation Therapist at the Lebanon County Veterans Administration Medical Center to establish a wheelchair garden for the residents of the nursing center and hospice unit. The volunteers worked with groups of 6-8 residents at a time; two 5’ x 25’ raised beds were planted with vegetables, flowers, and herbs. 270 patients took part. Recreation therapy interns and youth volunteers learned to use the garden for the benefit of patients. Beaver County Master Gardeners provided leadership and assistance to the residents of the Villa of the Sister’s of Saint Joseph nursing facility in establishing a wildlife habitat. The residents built feeding stations with the assistance of the volunteers. They also started various plants from seeds in order to attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Master Gardeners assisted the residents in transplanting the seedlings into flower beds. A Northumberland County Master Gardener assisted the Snyder County Extension Agent in presenting two sessions to 20 therapists. The sessions were "Butterfly Gardening" and "Attracting Wildlife". The purpose of program was to explain the benefits of horticulture activities and to teach the therapists how to incorporate the activities into their therapy regimens. Delaware County Master Gardeners continued their work with the Presbyterian Children’s Village which houses middle and high school youth awaiting placement in foster care. Master Gardeners helped the youth prepare raised bed gardens and to plant and harvest vegetables. The children are proud of their garden and use the produce in meal preparation. Return to Master Gardener Main Page
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