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Plant Management Systems: Urban Horticulture (San Juan County)
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Plan Goal
Increase, enhance, and sustain the urban and rural lifestyles in San Juan County by teaching proper landscape and vegetable garden plant selection, management, and efficient water use.
Situation Statement
New residents, beginning gardeners, and San Juan County natives confront challenges due to unique soils, climate, and limited water supplies. Successful development and maintenance of landscapes and gardens require understanding of these unique challenges and appropriate techniques for adapting to them. The need for educational opportunities in urban horticulture is evidenced by the sheer volume of calls received by the agent.
Target Audience and Actions
The target audiences are the gardening public and horticultural professionals throughout San Juan County who will be provided research based information necessary for successful gardening in the varied and challenging New Mexico environment. The agent will field inquires via phone calls, email and home visits. The Master Gardener program will be utilized in providing basic how-to courses and outreach at community outlets such as the Farmers’ Markets to the general public. The agent will manage the Master Gardener program by attending group meetings, provide opportunities for continuing education, and utilizing a Volunteer Coordinator.
Short-Term Objectives
Establish a protocol for the Master Gardener program in San Juan County. Create an indexed binder of NMSU CES publications that can be used by Master Gardeners providing outreach. Provide four Master Gardener continuing education opportunities per year. Provide a formal seminar for backyard market growers.
Medium-Term Objectives
Create a serious of half day courses that can be taught by the Master Gardeners to the general public about local landscape and gardening issues. Explore the possibility of utilizing San Juan College Continuing Education program as a way to reach a broad spectrum of San Juan County citizens. This strategy, as well as office inquiries will be used as a tool to encourage the gardening public and horticultural professionals will adopt more appropriate, water conserving landscape practices. They will employ better plant management systems and utilize better adapted plant material in their landscapes.
Long-Term Objectives
Visible changes in landscapes will be apparent as more appropriate, water efficient plant material and landscape designs are employed by the gardening public and landscape professionals. Water conservation measures will enhance landscape beauty and survivability while reducing cost of water required for maintaining the landscapes. Improved landscape management practices will also be observed as inappropriate techniques, such as tree-topping, are reduced.
Evaluation Plan
The gardening public and horticultural professionals will be presented surveys and questionnaires at public presentations to determine which techniques have been employed by them and the level of success achieved by implementing the new techniques. Personal discussions with gardeners and professionals will be employed to better understand their success with new techniques. Visible observations of landscape gardening techniques will reveal the extent and success of new landscaping techniques.