A recent study showed that 55% of American households engage in gardening activities. The study also found that 67% of adults are growing or planning to grow edible plants, including vegetables (52%), herbs (33%), and fruits (31%). This has led to a boom in sales in garden centers and promotion of the benefits of growing your own food. This “boom in gardening” and gardening businesses was demonstrated in April, 2023, at the Scott County  Extension  Master Gardener Volunteers’ Annual GARDEN EXPO - COMMUNITY OF GARDENERS. The 2023 Expo had a record number of 313 attendees - a 100% increase from  pre-covid 2019 number of 151. Participants  took part in the “COMMUNITY OF GARDENERS’ events which  included demonstrations, activities, and speakers  led by  gardening associations, local shops, businesses,  farms and volunteers. SNAP Healthy Foods demonstrations were conducted by the Family and Consumer Science team and 4-H had the ever popular ‘Paint your Pot and Grow a Plant’ activity, along with information on soils, raised beds , antique farm machinery and more. Scott County Horticulture Agent provided answers to gardening questions and offered free soil samples. University Of Kentucky Specialists Jonathan Larson and Matt Dixon, provided researched based information on ‘Insects – Questions and Answers’, and ‘Recent Weather Patterns and its Effects on Local Gardening’.

As one EXPO-goer observed, “This gets better and better,” while another stated they looked forward to attending every year; at the same time, two returning EXPO vendors credited the event and the Scott County Cooperative Extension Horticulture Program with increasing their marketable skills and profits.