We want to make this program as rewarding as possible for gardeners. Last December, we invited the 2008 gardeners to participate in a confidential survey to inform us of what they like and don't like about the program.
This survey showed a tremendous amount of satisfaction among the participants:
1. How useful was this program to your gardening practices? (rated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 = not useful and 5 = very useful). Average score was 4.25.
2. Did this program introduce you to new varieties? 100% Yes; 0% No.
3. Did this program make you more aware of the differences among varieties? 92% Yes; 8% No.
4. Would you recommend this program to other gardeners in North Dakota? 100% Yes; 0% No.
5. What were the BEST things about this program? (please check as many as you wish)
- Growing new varieties - 92%
- Being part of a research team with other gardeners and NDSU - 79%
- Nothing was good about this program - 0%
- Other:
-- Eating the vegetables.
-- The program is well run.
6. What were the WORST things about this program (please check as many as you wish):
- Nothing. Everything was acceptable to me - 71%
- Seeds were too expensive - 13%
- Plot labels faded in sun - 8%
- Need to offer more varieties - 4%
(Note: This project reduced seed costs to gardeners by 50% in 2009.)
7. Do you have any final comments or suggestions or improving the program?
Representative comments included:
- "It would be nice to know who else is involved in this so you could compare notes over the summer." (Note: we will strive for an on-line chat space in 2009.)
- "Provide the seeds earlier in the season" (Note: this program was launched in May 2008, only one month after hiring a regional horticulture educator. The good news is that we can offer the program earlier in 2009 and future years.)
- "As a past NDSU graduate it was nice to work with the school that I graduated from. Look forward to next year."
- "Thank you for the opportunity to learn and grow as a gardener."
- "Great job! This was my first year doing this and I plan to do it next year too!"
- "I love the program. It will impact the varieties that I plant last year."
More results of this evaluation are available upon request. |
