The Oxford English Dictionary recently defined citizen science as: “scientific work undertaken by members of the general public, often in collaboration with or under the direction of professional scientists and scientific institutions.”
Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners (VVfG)
Join our growing garden research team today when you Share & Review.
For centuries gardeners have been asking their fellow gardeners “What varieties will grow best in my garden?” This web forum provides an avenue for gardeners to share knowledge. The concept is simple: Gardeners visit the VVfG site and report what varieties perform well – and not so well – in their gardens. Other gardeners visit to view the variety ratings and read the reviews to decide which might work well for them. The VVfG citizen science project also provides an opportunity for researchers to involve knowledgeable and motivated citizens. With a multitude of gardener observations at their finger tips, researchers can gain new insight into the performance of vegetable varieties under a wide range of conditions and practices. At the same time, gardeners can get advice from a larger community of gardeners to help decide which varieties to try in their own gardens. VVfG helps us create our most recent version posted at gardening.cornell.edu/vegetables – Vegetable-Varieties-list-2022
Watch a brief tutorial on how to use the Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners database.
Vegetable varieties investigation (Vvi) is a companion program to Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners (VVfG). Youth participants interview gardeners about their opinions on vegetable varieties, then submit their findings to the VVfG nation-wide online library of vegetable variety reviews. Findings reported by Vvi youth participants are used by gardeners, plant breeders, and horticulture researchers to support science research and promote garden biodiversity for healthy ecosystems.
Vegetable Variety Trial Gardens (VVTG) is another companion program to Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners (VVfG) for our Cornell Cooperative Extension associations and community partners from around New York State who are cultivating vegetable demonstration gardens as outdoor classrooms for their communities.
Seed to Salad – Youth grow salad gardens, with emphasis on decision-making and a multi-disciplinary approach, including nutrition, physical activity, math, and language arts. Seed to Salad – Spanish Version. And gardeners of all ages can visit the VVfG citizen science project site and report what varieties perform well – and not so well – in their gardens.
Food Gardening resource page http://gardening.cornell.edu/vegetables/
