REACHING NEW GARDENERS THROUGH BLOGGING
Horticulture & Turfgrass
Rebecca Mcmahon
County Extension Agent, ANR
K-State Research & Extension
Wichita
Abstract
2009 showed an increase in home vegetable and fruit gardening which required new programming efforts for Sedgwick County Extension Horticulture. These new gardeners were challenging because they were predominately younger than our average customer, and many were unfamiliar with Extension. Traditionally, the Demonstration Garden, planned and maintained by Extension Master Gardeners, is a great resource for new gardeners to learn techniques that work in Kansas. However, many new or young gardeners do not have the time to visit the garden. In order to reach the young, technologically connected, new gardeners, I started a blog that follows everything we do in the Demonstration Garden (http://thedemogardenblog.wordpress.com). The goal is to use non-technical, conversational writing and lots of pictures to show new gardeners what is going on in the garden. Throughout the growing season I post new content 4 to 5 times each week, use pictures to document growth and showcase techniques, discuss common problems, and share simple recipes that use in-season garden produce. The blog walks alongside new urban gardeners to help them grow their own food, save money, and eat more locally. There were over 8,000 hits on the blog during the first year, which does not include readers that subscribed to the blog via RSS feed. The blog continues to gain followers and build community. My experience with the Demo Garden Blog has encouraged other departments and programs in our office to start using social media for other educational efforts.
Authors: McMahon, R. L.
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McMahon, R. L. County Extension Agent, Anr, K-StateResearch & Extension, Kansas, 67205