KALE YEAH! Gardening For Wellness
Extension Education
Emily Zobel
Associate Agent for Agriculture and Food Systems
University of Maryland Extension
Cambridge
Abstract
There is increasing evidence showing that exposure to plants and green space, particularly gardening, benefits mental, physical, and social well-being. Gardening increases exercise, reduces stress, and allows for skill development, creative expression, sensory stimulation, a sense of productivity and self-satisfaction, and social connections. The program “Kale Yeah!” allowed patients at the Eastern Shore Hospital Center (ESHC), a mental health facility located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the opportunity to learn to plant, grow, and harvest cool-season crops, such as leafy greens and brassica crops. The program was organized and managed by Emily Zobel, Senior Agent Associate, for Dorchester County, University of Maryland Extension, MD, with the help of Master Gardener volunteers and hospital staff. The goal of the program was to increase participants' sense of productivity and self-satisfaction by growing a vegetable crop that can be eaten or sold to the facility staff. Each session ran for 10-13 weeks, with the class meeting weekly for 1 hour. Two sessions were held between September 2024 and March 2025. Participants worked in pairs or as small groups to care for and harvest plants, providing them with a supportive environment for further developing social skills and improving their social self-awareness. At the end of each session, they held a plant sale and sold bags of kale, broccoli leaves, and baby leaf lettuce cups to hospital staff and volunteers. During each session, participants had a cooking demonstration conducted by Lynn Matava, Extension Agent for Wicomico County, University of Maryland Extension, MD, where they used the produce they grew to make a dish to eat. At the Hospital Center's request, no formal survey was given to the participants. Outcomes are based on feedback from the participants about what they learned and feedback from program volunteers and staff. All participants said they enjoy learning about growing plants, and cooling with them. The following is a quote from hospital staffer Tonya Askins about the program: “I think this class is really good for the patients. They are learning and opening up more, since the class is hands-on and they have their own space.”
Poster has NOT been presented at any previous NACAA AM/PIC
This poster is being submitted for judging. It will be displayed at the AM/PIC if not selected as a State winner. The abstract will be published in the proceedings.
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Authors: Emily Zobel, Lynn Matava
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Zobel, E. Associate Agent for Agriculture and Food Systems, University of Maryland Extension , Maryland, 21613-0299
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Matava, L. Extension Agent, University of Maryland Extension , Maryland, 21802