Horticulture program
Vegetable gardening is important to many Wisconsin households with more than 440,000 households (19%) purchasing vegetable plants over a one-year period and 320,000 households (14%) purchasing vegetable seeds over a one-year period. Approximately 1.5 million adults in Wisconsin (32%) have a garden of some kind. Due to the pandemic, stay-at-home orders and fear over disease transmission, many Wisconsinites sought alternative ways to learn about home horticulture and gardening in 2020. Furthermore, the pandemic seemed to cause some people to start gardening for the first time, or to take on home gardening beautification projects.
Outcomes
In response to the pandemic, the Extension Horticulture Program moved to an online teaching approach to support the gardening and horticulture efforts of the people of Wisconsin. Updating and maintaining web-based resources and social media presence were key ways to provide research-based information, and live streaming lectures and workshops were one of the primary ways Extension’s Horticulture Program reached audiences. In 2020, Extension Horticulture reached 28,500 participants through its outreach activities. Through online and safe in-person education, Extension supported Wisconsinites in successfully growing their own food and to help them be better stewards of their environment as gardeners.
Focus Areas
Project Leader
Jay Dampier
Program Manager
- Department/Unit
- Division of Extension, Agriculture Institute
- School or College
- Divison of Extension