Homeowners and gardeners source their landscape education from various media outlets and social media platforms. Leveraging the substantial following of the UF/IFAS Master Gardener social media page, which boasts over 40,000 followers, presents a unique opportunity to discern the horticultural education needs of homeowners and their preferred dissemination methods. In 2023, a Qualtrics horticultural needs assessment survey was developed and distributed via Facebook and Instagram to followers. Prior to survey distribution, an Institutional Review Board was completed and approved under the non-human/exempt auto-determination tool. The Qualtrics needs assessment comprised twelve questions covering topics such as horticultural interests, availability, and preferred learning platforms. Four visually engaging posts were shared, two each in December 2023 and January 2024. Of these posts, 309 respondents agreed to participate in the study. Our findings aligned with current gardening trends, with homeowners expressing a need for information on native plants, pollinators, vegetable gardening, and invasives. Among respondents, 21% favored online classes over 15% for in-person classes. Additionally, digital documents were preferred by 18% of respondents compared to 14% for print documents. Notably, 20% of respondents expressed a preference for short online videos for receiving horticultural information. Survey participants were also queried on their preferred time of year for attending classes, both in person and online, with no clear preference observed. Regarding in-person classes at local extension offices, 54% indicated willingness to attend, while 11% were unaware of their local extension office's location. When asked about their interactions with Master Gardener Volunteers, 31% reported satisfaction, 12% dissatisfaction, and 48% had not interacted with a Florida Master Gardener Volunteer. Interestingly, 62% of respondents expressed a preference for garden-related content on YouTube. While the response rate was relatively low, it suggests that direct email or in-person approaches might have yielded more productive results. Nonetheless, the findings are compelling, indicating a promising direction for extension programming in the digital age. They underscore the potential benefits of transitioning towards short-form video content and utilizing platforms like YouTube to effectively meet homeowners' horticultural education needs. Overall, the study illuminates the evolving landscape of horticultural education and underscores the importance of adapting dissemination strategies to better engage homeowners in the digital realm.
