CONSUMER HORTICULTURE

Bob Westerfield - Consumer Ornamentals Marco Fonseca – Master Gardener Program Wayne McLaurin – Consumer Vegetables Gerard Krewer – Commercial and Consumer Fruits

Gardening Trends in the U.S.

• Home gardening and landscaping – #1 hobby in U.S.

• 85 million households participate • Consumers spent an average of $450.00 per year on landscape and garden • Georgia Value – 1.2 Billion dollars spent in retail garden centers each year

Georgia Trends

• Consumers more educated and environmentally sensitive • Steady increase in the past 10 years in call volume for agents and specialists • 1997 – creation of Consumer Horticulture/Master Gardener Coordinator position • Need for more volunteer assistance through the Master Gardener Program

Georgia Master Gardener Program

• Program began in 1979 around Atlanta with 150 people in 4 counties • Currently we have trained over 9000 volunteers in 110 counties • Currently have 3000 active Master Gardeners • In 2001, MG’s returned over 100,000 hours of volunteer time across the state • Value of volunteer time and travel close to 1.5 million dollars.

Utilization of volunteers

Other MG Products

• Horticulture therapy • Wildlife habitats • Junior master gardener program • Demonstration gardens

Master Gardener Funding

• Program generates approx. $32,000 per year through book sales • Program funds 20 hour per week program assistant position • Proceeds fund complete operating and travel budget for the coordinator and assistant • $30,000 in recent grants have funded an advanced Master Gardener Coordinator position

Georgia Master Gardener Association (GMGA)

• Supports state program, ie conferences, advanced training • Offer small grants for MG projects • Purchased equipment for state program • Publish quarterly newsletter for all members

Horticulture Faculty Involvement in the Master Gardener Program

• Creation of State Master Gardener Coordinator Position in 1997 • Hort. Faculty currently teach 60 to 75 MG classes a year • Development of Advanced MG training in 1998 • Development of resources such as slide sets (powerpoint) , administrative manuals, and text book

Continued …

• MG web page (gamastergardener.org) and list serve • Advanced training • State and regional conferences • Collaborative state projects

Consumer Horticulture – Vegetables

Dr. Wayne McLaurin

Sample Publications

• Growing Vegetables Organically • Home Vegetable Gardening • When to Harvest Vegetables • Conserving Water in the Vegetable Garden • Herbs in Southern Gardens

Herbs

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Authored “Herbs in Southern Gardens”; over 1,000 sold.

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Powerpoint slide series for landscaping with herbs.

Composting and Waste Management

Commercial Horticultural Waste Management •

Organized interagency committee of university, state, regional and local governments.

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Helped acquire $2.7 million Bioconversion, Research and Education Center at The University of Georgia.

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Established Facility Operators Training Workshops at Bioconversion Center.

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Trained 190 Administrators and personnel

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Developed 15 demonstration/research state projects on compost/waste utilization.

State-Wide Results from Horticultural Waste Management Initiatives • • •

38 compost processors and 553,600 tons/year processed.

63% of local governments that now chip yard trimmings.

Nursery use of recycled material; 600,000 pots with incorporated sawmill waste.

Consumer Horticultural Waste Management •

Co-created first state wide home composting program

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Trained over 800 compost volunteers (Handbook developed and utilized in 22 other states.)

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Instrumental in creating 94 permanent composting demonstration sites.

Consumer Ornamental Trends

• Trend towards drought tolerant and “bullet-proof” plants • Organic and BMP alternatives • More educated audience with information overload (not all correct) • Need for quick electronic transfer of information • People less likely to attend seminars.

• Agent specialty training

Faculty Involvement

• Commercial and Consumer Faculty involved – 50% of Q and A are homeowners • Select publications – – A compilation of Low-Maintenance Plants for Georgia Landscapes – Coping with Watering Restrictions in the Landscape – Environmentally Friendly landscape Practices – Best Management Practices in the Landscape for Homeowners – Xeriscape: A Guide to Developing a Water Wise Landscape

Other Consumer Involvement

• Agent trainings – (winter school, tours and in-service trainings) • Consumer newsletter – Timely Tips, Hort Alert, Hort Fax • Center for Urban Agriculture (web page) • Field days and open houses • Digital diagnostics • Multi-state collaboration

Continued

• Grant of $157,000 for nonpoint source pollution resource development (BMP booklet, training manual, and programs) • Radio Program • T.V. involvement –”Gardening in Georgia” • Metro Agent List Serve

Consumer Horticulture Fruits

Dr. Gerard Krewer

Current Faculty

• One general specialist for most of home fruit calls (half of all calls are homeowner) • Tri-state funded apple specialist • Peach specialist • Specialized Agents

Faculty Involvement

• Select publications: – Grafting Fruit trees in the Home Orchard – Home Garden Series, ie. apples, figs, pears, etc.

– Numerous news articles • Master Gardener Support • County Agent Trainings • Multi-state agent Trainings

Consumer Horticulture Needs

• Tenure track credit for teaching master gardener programs • Continued update of materials – slide sets, powerpoint presentations, manual • Travel money for specialists to assist agents with programs • Electronic delivery of programs, ie GSAMS or a web based MG program • Train the trainer program to encourage more MG participation in teaching classes

Needs continued

• Specialized agent training • Additional computer support to add fact sheets and brochures to web site • Creation of strong computer data base for agents and master gardeners • Continued faculty computer training to enhance current skills, ie powerpoint • Full-time home fruit specialist

Questions & Comments