Drug and alcohol addiction is a growing concern across America. As we look for ways to help individuals recover, the Mason County Extension Office partnered with the local outpatient recovery center. The NEP assistant has worked with the recovery center for several years, offering nutritional education; the horticulture agent asked to partner to make it an experience that included gardening. The horticulture agent applied for a grant through the recovery garden program at the University of Kentucky and received funding to build a raised bed garden. 

Now, clients are attending monthly classes held by the horticulture agent about gardening, tending to their garden, and using the produce for the NEP class. As the garden program started, it had been years since some people had gardened and brought back memories of gardening with family members. As the garden grew, so did their knowledge as they learned about disease, insect identification, and control. One participant tried radish for the first time and said, "I really like radish, and it would be good on a salad."  Several participants took home garden seed to plant at home as well.