During interviews, members of the evaluation team asked all participants to
describe typical program activities at each garden, discuss what the program
meant to them, and assess program strengths and weaknesses (and if the
participants actualIy gardened, we also asked them how they had learned this
skill). we questioned youth garden staff and educators about their observations
of children in the program and various learning contexts. Parents of the youth
gardeners were asked about changes in their children's behaviors since
participating in the gardens and the prospects.for parental involvement in the
program. The evaluation team asked stakeholders in the start-up garden to
relate their experiences with a new garden site. We questioned the pantry
stakeholders about hunger issues in Kenosha and how the gardens affected
the food supplies in pantries and soup kitchens.
5 from the Milwaukee start-up garden (Mitchell), 3 from the Waukesha rental
garden (Northview), 6 from the Waukesha/La Casa youth garden, 4 from the
Kenosha rental garden (Northside), 6 from the Kenosha/Lincoln youth
garden, and 6 from the Kenosha pantry garden (Field Of Dreams). Of these
interviewees, 22 were gardeners, 10 were staff or program volunteers, 7 were
youth horticultural teachers, 4 were collaborators, and 4 were parents of
youth gardeners. See Table 2.1 for these and other interviewee
characteristic&
information (particularly from the interviews) for the historical and
collaborative dimensions of the program.