Author: Annette Heisdorffer
Major Program: Horticulture, Consumer and Home
Vegetable gardening has become more popular. A need was identified for vegetable gardening information since citizens in urban areas wanted to grow their own vegetables. In an urban garden, challenges arise such as little space to grow vegetables, lack of power equipment, contaminated soil, and compacted and poorly drained soil. To address this need, an Urban Garden Committee was established with the help of the Daviess County Cooperative Extension Agent for Horticulture Educat
Author: Bethany Wilson
Tree Week is the brainchild of UK’s Urban Forest Initiative and has been in Lexington and a few other satellite locations for 5 years. Not only is the week about planting trees and overall learning more about trees, but it’s also an impetus to get people outside in nature. Pulaski County has participated since 2021. The Pulaski County Horticulture Agent organized a committee in April 2023 to plan and organize events for Tree Week 2023 (October 8-16). Master Gardeners,
This home gardening series is in its second year, created by the Pulaski Co Horticulture Agent and one Extension Master Gardener. During summer 2023, the program had over 30 different participants over the 5 monthly programs. During 2024, 72 people participated in 7 monthly programs.This Pulaski County Extension Horticulture program brought together gardening enthusiasts of all skill levels, empowering them with knowledge and skills to cultivate thriving gardens in limited spaces. Through
Author: Benjamin Prewitt
The Whitley County Cooperative Extension Service noticed a major restriction for a lot of folks in our community was having access and the ability to use equipment and tools as well as the financial capabilities to purchase equipment. To combat this problem in our community we decided in 2023 to begin working towards building a reliable and dependable Shared-Use Equipment Program for Horticulture and Agriculture clientele in our county. Tools such as
Author: Lorilee Kunze
Bullitt County is a community adjacent to Louisville and it is extremely hard to engage community members in educational events at the Extension office. For the past decade, the Annual Master Gardener Plant Sale has an innovative and fun way to get new people in to Extension and involved in other Extension Programs.The Plant Sale itself is an excellent draw to the community and a great marketing tool This past year the sale hosted 51 booths of local farmers, nurseries, artisan
Author: Brandon Sears
Nearly 14% of Madison County residents are food insecure. That means they are uncertain of having, or unable to acquire, enough food. (www.kaco.org and www.feedingamerica.org). With increasing food prices and supply chain issues, this problem has the potential to get worse.People are looking for ways to stretch their dollar and to become more self-sufficient.The Madison County Extension Office offered free seeds to the public this year. The staff created a “seed library” in the
Author: Jason Vaughn
A 2023 Kentucky Extension Community Assessment of Powell County indicated that residents believe fewer chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer should be a top priority. Research has shown that a diet high in fruits and vegetables can decrease the occurrence of chronic diseases. Homeowners are uniquely positioned to access fresh fruits and vegetables by growing their own. Education by Extension Agents and Specialists in home horticulture emphasizes the impor
Author: Jessica Hopkins
The problemWith growing demand for interest in growing your own food, gardening classes have been offered at the Harrison County Extension Office over the last few years. Each year a different topic or theme is used to help educate participants about growing their own food and raising vegetable gardens. With continued interest, it was decided that this year’s theme would be The Three Season Garden. Often folks think of growing a summer garden and even early spring garden,
Author: Kristin Hildabrand
The Warren County Extension Master Gardener Volunteers, in partnership with the Bowling Green Garden Club, hosted the Fairy Garden Tour Event to showcase the unique Monarch Waystation and Pollinator Garden Habitat. This tour was open to all, with the Garden Club members selling tickets before and during the event. The tickets highlighted the specific gardens in the Bowling Green area, with the first location being the Warren County Extension Master Gardeners Certified Monarch Waystation, a uniqu
The Warren County Extension Agents for Agriculture and Horticulture have created a WordPress blog called Warren County Agriculture Blog. The blog serves as a virtual community hub, connecting Kentucky residents and an international audience with a shared interest in farming and gardening. Both agents contribute to the blog by creating articles or using Agent Exclusives and other information from the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service. The goal is to publish content twice a mont
Author: Delia Scott
The Tree Fruit Grafting In-service for Agents was developed to introduce the new Extension Fruit Specialist, Dr. Brent Arnoldussen, to agents throughout the state as well as to train agents on safe and effective tree fruit grafting techniques. Three in-services were held on three dates in February, including in Lexington at the UK Horticulture Research Farm on February 14; in London at the Laurel Co. Extension Office on February 21; and in Owensboro at the Daviess Co. Extension Office on Februar
Author: Anthony Tackett
The Bourbon County Extension Service continues to be a strong source of support for local communities, offering a wealth of educational resources through diverse outreach programs. This past year, the Horticulture program demonstrated a strong commitment to direct, hands-on learning by providing over 260 personalized consultations and individual meetings.These sessions catered to a variety of needs and learning styles. Residents received one-on-one guidance through phone calls, emails, office vi
Warren County Horticulture Extension Agent Kristin Hildabrand leads The Sunshine Gardening Podcast. Each episode features Kristin conversing with Extension specialists, agents, and experts. Their collective knowledge and experience delve into a wide range of gardening-related topics in Kentucky, catering to all types of gardeners. Whether you're into vegetable gardening, flower gardening, dealing with insect pests, or nurturing houseplants, there's something for everyone! Each segment is
Author: Charles May
In April, the Perry County Extension Service in cooperation with the Perry County Conservation District conducted its’ annual fruit and vegetable grower’s workshop. Since beginning this program, eleven years ago, the workshops have continued to grow to the point where people had to be turned away in the last eight years because of space limitations. More than 60 people attended this years’ workshop. The Perry County Conservation District d
Author: James Morgeson
The Horticulture How To program participants requested a class on making and taking draped containers. In this class, participants learned how to create a container using concrete and fabric. They explored the different fabrics, textures, shapes, and ways to recycle materials into useful garden art. By learning how to repurpose everyday materials into functional and decorative items, participants contributed to reducing waste and minimizing their environmental footprint. Evaluations were conduct
Author: Sarah Imbus
The horticulture industry uses plastic in many forms such as pots, trays, labels, irrigation equipment, colored rolls of plastic for pest and weed suppression, packaging and more. Most of the current plastics used in the horticultural industry used are polypropylene (#5PP), polystyrene (#6PS) and high-density polyethylene (#2HDPE), which are typically not able to be curbside recycled within most metropolitan recycling facilities. Some local nurseries and box stores in Campbell County
Author: Adam Leonberger
Addressing the issue of food deserts is a pressing concern for many communities, and Frankfort is no exception. The city lacks grocery stores close to most residential neighborhoods. The public transit routes are limited and only run during the day. The transit system also restricts the riders to bringing only four grocery bags on the buses. Moreover, food prices are rising, making it difficult for the low-income residents to afford healthy food. This situation has led to a severe fo
Author: Gary Hamilton
Meeting the needs of and attracting new clientele to Extension programming is an on going task. In an effort to do so the total Montgomery County Extension staff has deveped a new and very successful Extension program series entitled Modern Homesteading. The sessions planned and conducted in this series have included: Fruit Tree Grafting, Bread Making, Gardening in Small Spaces, Food Preservation and Composting/Wild Edibles. The response to this program series has been overwelming. All
