Improving Vegetable Gardening Knowledge and Adoption of Practices Through Workshops
Extension Education
David AUSTIN
Residential Horticulture
UF/IFAS
Sebring
Abstract
Background: Vegetable gardening in Florida can be challenging, particularly for newcomers. Central Florida’s sandy soils leach nutrients quickly, making determining proper watering and fertilization difficult. Additionally, planting times differ significantly from northern states and nearly stop during the hot, humid summer months. Classes offered in August and January attract both long-time residents and seasonal visitors. The August sessions focus on fall gardening, while the January sessions address late winter and early spring gardening. Objective: The goal is to teach Florida vegetable gardening through 11 horticultural practices, aiming to increase participants’ knowledge by 50% and encourage the adoption of at least 4 of the 11 practices. Methods: Three-hour lectures are held on the second Saturday in August and January. Participants receive a 100-page booklet from the University of Florida’s Electronic Data Information Source (EDIS), containing research-backed articles on Florida vegetable gardening. Pre- and post-tests (10 questions each) are used to assess knowledge before and after the class. Follow-up surveys are sent 3-6 months later to gauge the adoption of the 11 practices. Results: From 2019-2024, 763 residents attended the workshops, with 702 completing pre- and post-assessments. Pre-test scores averaged 49%, while post-test scores averaged 83%, indicating a 69% knowledge gain—19% above the 50% target. A follow-up survey was sent to participants, with 91 responses received. Of those, 64% reported being inspired to plant a vegetable garden after attending the class. Each respondent was asked to select which of the 11 gardening practices they had adopted, and all participants reported adopting at least one. On average, each participant adopted 4.2 of the 11 practices.
Poster has NOT been presented at any previous NACAA AM/PIC
This poster is being submitted only for display at AM/PIC. Poster is not to be judged, but the abstract will be published in the proceedings.
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Authors: David AUSTIN
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AUSTIN, D. Residential Horticulture Agent I, UF/IFAS Highlands County, Florida, 33875