Louisiana’s Southwest Region Garden Event Improves Gardeners Knowledge and Behavior
ISSN 2158-9429
Volume 17, Issue 2 - December 2024
Editor: Linda Chalker-Scott
Abstract
The 2024 Southwest Region Home Garden Event was held in Rayne, Louisiana on June 26, 2024, from five to eight in the evening. The intent of this event was to provide an educational experience for local gardeners. Structured as an open-house style event, gardeners could walk through and around the perimeter of the garden to visit various stations to learn home garden practices related to both gardening and what to do with harvested fruit and vegetable crops. Within the garden horticulture Extension agents hosted booths on the following topics: using manure, applying pesticides, installing irrigation, rationale for growing flowers in the vegetable garden (pollination), techniques for trellising plants. Three additional stations were located on the perimeter of the garden. A state specialist hosted a blueberry growing station, nutrition, and community health (NCH) agents hosted a cooking demonstration, and 4-H agents and volunteers hosted a children’s activity booth focusing on growing seeds and creating plant labels for the garden space. Attendees reported learning practical gardening
techniques, with 83% of respondents planning to apply them. Additionally, 98% of attendees gained new knowledge, and 67% learned new cooking skills using fresh produce. Sixty percent of participants intended to replicate the recipes. While successful in promoting sustainable gardening, future events should communicate these types of events as being family friendly. Overall, this event fostered community engagement and encouraged the adoption of research-based gardening practices.
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