Extension Public Gardens in Central Florida: Opportunities and Challenges

Demonstration gardens at Lake and Orange County Extension offices provide excellent opportunities for hands-on instruction. Both gardens are a little more than 3 acres divided into smaller theme gardens emphasizing low maintenance Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ principles and locally recommended plant varieties and urban farming production techniques. Horticulture Extension Agents conduct periodic plant trial projects in the garden to assess variety adaptive traits for plant material in central Florida and classes on landscape installation and food production.  On-going hydroponic and aquaponic production systems are maintained and used as field demonstrations for local food system urban farming workshops. Initial funding was provided by the county in one instance and public/private cooperative funding in the other. Subsequent donations and in-kind support come from stakeholders and Master Gardener volunteers.  It is difficult to maintain gardens of this size with volunteers. In one county, budget cuts in the last several years have reduced the paid positions and put a strain on the Master Gardener volunteers who are often older and less able to perform physically demanding tasks. The continued success of Extension demonstration gardens require County government, stakeholders and volunteer backing to survive and grow. They are an asset to the community and fundamental to Extension as an educational resource.