The 2022 Seed to Supper program operated in 20 Pennsylvania counties, using a black-and-white course book while beginning the development of a color version.
Evaluation data show 100% of participants gained gardening knowledge and confidence in at least one area and participants overwhelmingly praised the program's impact on their gardening abilities and food access.
Highlights
The Penn State Extension Master Gardener Program endeavored to improve the program in 2022. We continued to use a black-and-white temporary version of the course book that was developed the previous year. However, we began working on compiling a color version and adding additional information. We also expanded and refined our data collection surveys and a few counties began to expand their programming to include more than one class location.
Participating Counties
The following 20 counties participated in Seed to Supper in 2022: Allegheny, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Butler, Clinton, Crawford, Dauphin, Delaware, Fayette, Greene, Lycoming, Mercer, Montour, Philadelphia, Snyder, Somerset, Susquehanna, Wayne, and Wyoming.
Program Impact Evaluation 2022
| The Seed to Supper Program helped me: | Agree to Strongly Agree |
|---|---|
| Grow my own food (vegetables and herbs). | 100% |
| Connect with others in my community. | 69% |
| Learn more about resources available to me within my community. | 100% |
| Increase my gardening knowledge. | 100% |
| Eat more vegetables. | 75% |
| Try new varieties of vegetables. | 88% |
| Areas Where Participants Reported Gaining Knowledge | % of Class |
|---|---|
| Overall – Participants reported gaining knowledge in least one category | 100% |
| Choosing the best garden location | 50% |
| Preparing the garden location for success | 100% |
| Methods for planting a garden | 82% |
| Methods that support a healthy garden throughout the growing season | 91% |
| Integrated pest management practices (IPM) | 100% |
| Areas Where Participants Reported Gaining Confidence | % of Class |
|---|---|
| Overall -- participants gaining confidence in at least one category | 100% |
| Evaluating a site to choose an effective location to plant a garden | 99% |
| Preparing a location for a garden by using a soil test kit | 100% |
| Planting a garden using succession planting or interplanting techniques | 91% |
| Caring for a garden through the growing season using mulch or other water management practices | 100% |
| Using IPM practices to protect a garden from pests | 100% |
| Spreading the word and passing on knowledge | % of Class |
|---|---|
| Will share their new knowledge | 96% |
| Will recommend Seed to Supper | 96`% |
100% of the participants either agreed or strongly agreed that their facilitators were prepared, clear, welcoming, provided hands-on activities, and provided additional informational resources that were helpful.
Quotes and Testimonials:
- "I didn't know anything about gardening, now I'm planting and have veggies coming up. I can't believe I can do it!"
- "I learned quite a bit about container gardening."
- "We found all the information extremely informative and interesting. It actually made me interested in gardening."
- "The level of knowledge of presenters was amazing! Practical information."
- "Even though I have experience gardening, I learned a lot. It was especially great getting resources and places/references."
- "Wish it could keep going on! I love the classes."
