Wellness Garden 2012

1. Wellness Garden 2012 Program Evaluation

2. Wellness Garden 2012 • 2012 was the second season for the garden • 30 garden plots total (all 4’ x 8’) • 27 for use by individuals/households • 3 reserved for LGM program use • All participants are EBNHC patients • Majority have at least one child in LGM (18 of 28) • One-time payment of $20, scholarships available • Includes all seeds, supplies, gardening workshops, etc

3. Part 1 – Gardener Demographics ?

4. Residence

5. Household Characteristics

6. Household Characteristics

7. Household Characteristics 32% 36% 64% 68% 18 of 28 gardeners had at least one child actively participating in LGM 9 of 28 gardeners reported current participation in WIC

8. Previous Experience 14% 46% 54% 86% 15 of 28 gardeners were returning from the 2011 season 24 of 28 gardeners reported some prior gardening experience

9. How did you hear about the garden? • Let’s Get Movin’ 46% • Word of Mouth 15% • EBNHC 12% • WIC 8% • Other 19% • Walked by garden, online, community event, Harborside community center, work (one each)

10. Post-season survey • Sent to all participants in January 2013 • Follow up phone calls 2+ weeks after sending • Incentive – 25$ gift card drawing • 22/28 participants responded (79%)

11. Survey Respondents – Sex and Age 23% 77%

12. Survey Respondents - Origin Ethnicity Hispanic/Latino: 86% Not Hispanic/Latino: 14% 3 Cape Verde: 1 4 Primary Language Spanish: 73% English: 18% Brazilian Portuguese: 9% Cape Verdean: 5% El Salvador: 9 Guatemala: 2 Honduras: 1 2

13. Survey Respondents - Benefits 45% 50% 50% 55%

14. Survey Respondents – Family Income <100% FPG: 55% <150% FPG: 85% <200% FPG: 85%

15. Survey Respondents - Employment

16. Survey Respondents - Education

17. Part 2 – Effects on Nutrition

18. Eating Patterns: Pre-season survey How many times do you eat out per week?

19. Eating Patterns: Pre-season survey How many times per week do you eat a pre-packaged/ frozen meal?

20. Eating Patterns: Pre-season survey How many times per week do you eat a meal prepared at home?

21. Eating Patterns: Pre-season survey How many servings of fruits and vegetables do you eat per day? Median = 4 servings/day

22. 22% 78% 33% 67% 28% 72% Eating Patterns: Pre-season survey DATA SOURCE: Boston Behavioral Risk Factor Survey 2008, Boston Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BBRFSS), Boston Public Health Commission

23. Eating Patterns: Pre-season survey Would you eat more fruits and vegetables if they were more affordable?

24. Eating Patterns: Follow-up Survey During the gardening season, did the amount of fruits and vegetables consumed by your family increase, decrease or stay the same?

25. Eating Patterns: Follow-up Survey During the gardening season, did the amount of money that you spent on food for your family increase, decrease or stay the same?

26. Eating Patterns: Follow-up Survey During the gardening season, how many days per week did you and your family eat produce that you grew in your garden? Mean = 4.6 days/wk

27. Eating Patterns: Follow-up Survey What did you grow in your garden? Tomatoes: 20 Peppers/chilis: 14 Herbs: 12 (cilantro, basil, yerba buena, yerba mora, mint, oregano, chipitin, papalo) Cucumbers: 11 Carrots: 8 Radishes: 6 Eggplant: 5 Strawberry: 5 Lettuce: 4 Tomatillos/Green tomatoes: 4 Corn: 4

28. Eating Patterns: Follow-up Survey What did you grow in your garden? Beans (legumes): 4 Beans (green/string): 3 Squash/pumpkin: 3 Chard: 2 Other: Broccoli, beets, peas, celery, cabbage, melon, zucchini, cauliflower, okra, fennel, collage, pipian, taioba, flowers (1 each) *** The average participant grew 6.2 different types of plants***

29. Part 3 – Gardener Experience and Satisfaction

30. Expectations How many days per week and minutes per day do you expect to come to the garden?

31. Expected Benefits 1) Reduce food costs 82% 2) Spend more time outside 79% 3) Exercise 75% 4) Improve your diet 71% 5) Eat less fast food 71% 6) Relaxation 71% 7) Educate my children 71%

32. Expected Benefits, Continued 8) Grow plants 68% 9) Build relationships/meet people 57% 10) Grow food from your culture 54% 11) Cook more meals at home 50%

33. Follow-up Survey – Time in Garden

34. Follow-up Survey – Time in Garden Mean = 3.9 Mean = 41 Mean = 44 Mean = 3.4

35. Follow-up Survey – Actual Benefits 1) Spend more time outside 100% 1) Build relationships/meet people 100% 1) Grow plants 100% 4) Relax 96% 5) Improve my diet 86% 6) Exercise 82% 6) Educate my children 82% 6) Reduce food costs 82%

36. Follow-up Survey – Actual Benefits 9) Eat less fast food 73% 10) Cook more at home 64% 11) Grow food from your culture 64% 12) Other 36% - Smell the freshness of the wet earth - Feel a little more like I'm in my country - Bring my children to enjoy nature - Be in the fresh air with my children - Spend free time with my children - Spend more time as a family - See my family eating healthy

37. Follow-up Survey – Primary benefit 1) Improve my diet 19% 1) Educate my children 19% 3) Grow plants 14% 4) Spend more time outside 5% 4) Grow food from my culture 5% 4) Exercise 5% 5) Other 32% - Bring my children to enjoy nature, be in the fresh air with my children, feel a little more in my country, eat organic vegetables, that my children eat more soup with red tomatoes, see my family eating healthier, spend free time with my children

38. Follow-up Survey – Problems/Challenges 1) Theft - 5 gardeners complained of having crops stolen (mostly cucumbers and chilis) 2) Respect for the garden “It made me sad to see some abandoned gardens” “People would leave stuff and trash around” “The respect for the gardens and the obligation to keep them clean and care for the tools” “I would like it if we all put away the tools that we took out” “More specific rules so that people maintain their plots better”

39. Follow-up Survey – Problems/Challenges 3) Seed availability - A minority of gardeners spent their own money on seeds (5/22) - Most spent $10-20

40. Part 4 – Planning for the Future Do you plan to return to the garden for the 2013 growing season?

41. Part 4 – Planning for the Future What types of seeds would you like to have available this coming year? • Tomatoes 6) • Cucumbers (5) • Herbs (cilantro, oregano, yerba mora, yerba buena, chipitin) • Peppers/chilis (4) • Corn (2) • Beans/legumes (2) • Lettuce (2) • Eggplant, string/green beans, spinach, radishes, carrots, strawberries, onion, garlic, turnip, mustard, taioba, flowers (1 each)

42. Part 4 – Planning for the Future What workshop topics would interest you this year? • Watering practices • Greenhouse practices • More about harvesting • Recycling • Flowers • Pest control • Cooking • Projects with children • Learn from other gardeners who know more

43. Part 4 – Planning for the Future What suggestions do you have for improving the garden experience? • More space (4) • More specific rules that people maintain their plots better • That people don't leave things around the garden - spaces got tight and it was difficult to walk in common areas • Another trash receptacle or something. The only receptacle got full; maybe at the other end of the garden • Organize little groups of 3 or 4 gardeners so that they can help each other and all the gardens will be well maintained

44. Data Collection • New survey questions incorporated into 2013 application • Will quantify F&V servings both for applicant and for children • Will quantify current household food expenditures • Questions will be repeated at end of growing season