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)
For centuries gardeners have been asking their fellow gardeners “What varieties will grow best in my garden?” The Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners (VVfG) 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-2024
Watch a brief tutorial on how to use the Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners database.
Vegetable Variety Trial Gardens (VVTG)
Vegetable Variety Trial Gardens (VVTG) is a 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.
Check out these additional citizen science resources: