The purpose of this educational program was to educate residential and consumer audiences on sustainable practices for landscapes, fruits, and vegetables in the home garden setting and to evaluate their perceived value of the programming in terms of money saved, increased property value, conservation, quality of life, or knowledge gained. 

This educational endeavor was accomplished through three interrelated channels: County horticulture outreach, an In-depth Development Training series, and the Gardeners Toolshed series.  The In-Depth training series was offered only to certified Extension Master Gardeners in the region and focused on intensive training in specific subject areas and their commitment to teach the learned curriculum.  The Gardeners Toolshed is a series of classes offered free of charge and open to the public.  These classes covered basic gardening information on a variety of topics.  44 in person educational sessions were offered with a total of 1,849 attendees. Educational methods included, lecture style programs, group discussion, hands-on workshops, demonstrations, and newsletters.  Topics ranged from ornamental and vegetable IPM, and urban water stewardship, to upcycling in the garden, and small-scale food production.  

Impacts of this program were evaluated in three different areas: increase in knowledge, implementation of learned practices, and perceived economic value. 43% of participants responded to the post program survey.  Of those surveyed, 100% learned something new, 51% have implemented learned practices, and average perceived value per participant was $552.  This equates to a potential local economic impact of $1,020,648 associated with Extension programming in residential and consumer horticulture in 2019.