4-H Projects

Horticulture

Young people can learn about plants in the horticulture project areas of

• Container Gardening
• Flower and Ornamental Gardening
• Vegetable Gardening

These projects are designed to provide an opportunity for young people to:

• Develop responsibility by growing and caring for plants
  
• Develop patience and understanding by working with plants
  
• Learn how to care for plants
  
• Learn about plants, their characteristics, their uses, and how to identify them
  
• Appreciate the importance of horticulture in everyday living
  
• Keep and use records
  
• Develop pride and joy in the home.

Parents are encouraged to help their children get the full benefit from 4-H experiences. This group of horticulture projects can provide many hours of family centered education that assists the 4-H'er to learn by doing and provides skills that will last a lifetime.

Container Gardening

Container Gardening is the beginning project for raising plants in containers. Youth may grow plants and vegetables in containers indoors or out-of-doors. 4-H leader and member publications on container gardening supporting this project are available from each County Extension Office.

For youth with one or more years of garden experience and that are in at least 7th grade the Experimental Container Garden option is available.

In addition to the 4-H leader materials available for each project option there are two other resources that may prove helpful. Local Master Gardeners have a wealth of information to share and often are willing to work directly with youth. The Educational Materials Catalog published by the OSU Extension Service lists numerous horticultural publications that provide information on a variety of gardening topics.

Flower and Ornamental Gardening

The Flower and Ornamental Gardening project provides the opportunity for young people to discover the fun of growing, using and caring for flowers and other ornamental plants. In the second year leaders may choose to emphasis propagation methods for a wide variety of plants. 4-H leader and member publications supporting this project are available from the County Extension Office.

The Experimental Ornamental Garden Project option is for youth in at least 7th grade who are familiar with basic cultural practices and flowers. This option allows for exploration of different gardening practices, and varieties and kinds of plants.

The Ornamental Maintenance Project is an advanced option for youth in at least 10th grade. This option allows youth to explore methods of establishing and maintaining ornamental plants at home or for sale.

In addition to the 4-H leader materials available for each project option there are two other resources that may prove helpful. Local Master Gardeners have a wealth of information to share and often are willing to work directly with youth. The Educational Materials Catalog published by the OSU Extension Service lists numerous horticultural publications that provide information on a variety of gardening topics.

Vegetable Gardening

The Vegetable Gardening project is for the beginning gardener who may garden in a small space or may wish to explore growing a variety of the kinds of vegetables. Young people will learn the fundamentals of raising vegetables for home use. 4-H leader and member publications supporting this project are available from each County Extension Office.

The Experimental Vegetable Garden option is for young people in at least 7th grade who are familiar with basic cultural practices and vegetable varieties and want to experiment with different varieties or cultural practices.

The Production Garden option is designed for young people in grades 10-12 (Senior 4-H) who want to grow vegetables for family use, for sale or both.

In addition to the 4-H leader materials available for each project option there are two other resources that may prove helpful. Local Master Gardeners have a wealth of information to share and often are willing to work directly with youth. The Educational Materials Catalog published by the OSU Extension Service lists numerous horticultural publications that provide information on a variety of gardening topics.