4-H Delivers

Vegetable Gardening in Ventura County

The Issue:

The interest in family, club, and community vegetable gardens has grown in recent years. The Ventura 4-H leadership team set out to create a program that would bring the science-based gardening knowledge of the Ventura County Master Gardeners Program and the hands-on learning style of 4-H together to educate people and inspire the additional development of family, club, and community vegetable gardens.

What Did 4-H Do?:

The program was a yearlong 4-H project led by Master Gardener educators focusing on vegetable gardening. With the assistance of funds from the California Landscape Contractors Association, each club that participated in the county-wide project received a 4x4’ raised bed. These shared vegetable beds allowed the members to get hands-on experience outside of the project meetings and kept members interested and eager.

During the meetings, members learned to make the raised beds, propagate vegetables from seeds, determine soil types, learn about watering techniques, identify beneficial and harmful insects, and work with multiple composting systems. The group was able to problem solve, discuss their findings, and enjoy sharing their successes, along with gaining the experience of tending their vegetable gardens.

The Impact:

Then asked what was the most valuable thing learned in the project, Lauren of Bardsdale 4-H replied, “You don’t need lots of space to grow a garden, and it’s not hard as you think to grow something. There is great value in growing your own produce.”

Sharing that enthusiasm for vegetable gardening is the next phase of developing the project. Most of the clubs have placed their raised gardening beds in a public area, like the school where they hold their club meetings, or a community park. While tending to their gardens, the members are engaging the community in a very informal way and discussing the benefits of vegetable gardening.

The Master Gardeners who participated in this program also gained additional understanding of the talent and capabilities of the 4-H program and its youth. The Vegetable Gardening Project looks forwards to offer a modified version of Master Gardener and 4-H cooperative learning in the coming year.