A citizen-science gardening project was conducted in 2024 with 205 participants from Indiana, Iowa, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Participants grew two cultivars of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa): ‘Elan’, a vigorous white-flowered plant, and ‘Tristan’, a pink-flowered plant with ornamental appeal. The study used a 15-question pre- and posttest format to assess changes in participant confidence related to pest management, personal nutrition, and mental health care. Participants also reported cultivar and plant-type preferences in the post-test. Monthly virtual educational sessions on the assessed topics were delivered by Extension faculty. Only 110 participants completed both the pre- and posttests, enabling evaluation of knowledge gain. An increase in mean scores was measured for 13 questions, suggesting that participants benefited from the educational Extension programming. The greatest improvements were measured in pest management knowledge, with gains ranging from 10% to 19%, whereas questions about methods to reduce stress increased only by 6% to 8%. In the posttest, 76% of participants preferred ‘Tristan’, citing its more attractive appearance, earlier harvest, and better yield compared to ‘Elan’. On average, ‘Tristan’ plants produced their first harvest 49 d after planting, compared to 58 d for ‘Elan’. Notably, willingness-to-pay data indicated that participants valued both cultivars similarly. Our findings demonstrate the positive impact of Extension programming on gardening-related knowledge and highlight the value of collaboration between university researchers, Extension faculty, and stakeholders as citizen scientists.
Funding Source This activity was funded by Purdue University as part of AgSEED Crossroads funding to support Indiana’s Agriculture and Rural Development.
