382 The Southwest Ohio Fruit and Vegetable School—A Successful Multi-county Program
Southwest Ohio Fruit and Vegetable School is a regional training program for both commercial growers and amateur gardeners. The program has been sponsored by four county Extension offices in Southwest Ohio and has attracted a total attendance of 571 since 1995. We have offered two concurrent sessions, one for commercial fruit and vegetable growers, and one for amateur gardeners. This combination has proven to be the key factor in the success of the program. Attendees are allowed to move between the commercial and amateur sessions. Many commercial growers brought their spouses along since there were good topics for both of them. Backyard gardeners benefitted from the commercial session since the information was very applicable to their situation. Commercial growers also receive their pesticide recertification credits. Some of the popular topics for the commercial session included: management of diseases, insects, and weeds of fruits and vegetables; production of fresh market tomatoes, green beans, peppers, sweet corn, and pumpkins; production of herbs and specialty crops; production of apples, raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries. Popular topics for the non-commercial session included: growing tree fruits and small fruits in home gardens; raised bed gardening; growing giant pumpkins; nuisance wildlife damage control; growing and using culinary herbs; beneficial insects; and managing garden pests without using conventional insecticides. The Southwest Ohio Fruit and Vegetable School has been a very successful training program and could serve as a good model for other county Extension educators.