In 2021, 17,466 Kentuckians age 12 and older were admitted to drug and alcohol substance use centers, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). According to the 2023 Extension Community Assessment, Mason County residents identified [insert county outcome about substance use recovery and/or refusal].

Mason County Nutrition Education Program Assistant, Anita Boyd and Extension Horticulture Agent, Macy Fawns, collaborated with Mason Co. Detention Center during 2024 to teach both gardening skills and nutrition education. The gardening, meal planning, and cooking skills learned will be useful to participants, both in the short term and after they leave the recovery center. 

Therapeutic horticulture is defined as a practice that uses living plants and gardening to improve people’s spiritual, mental, and physical health, according to the American Horticulture Therapy Association. There were 15 incarcerated people who participated in the garden. The garden consisted of four types of vegetables grown in an indoor hydroponic system.  The produce from the garden was utilized primarily for the center of meals within the detention center to provide fresh produce. 

Participants tended the garden by monitoring the hydroponic system’s water and nutrient levels and harvesting vegetables. In addition, some residents were assigned to care for specific plants and how to care for them. This leadership role aided in the participants’ substance-use recovery because gardening promotes connection with other participants, fostering social inclusion and community belonging—which are essential to substance-use recovery. All participants indicated that participating in gardening and nutrition education taught them self-care strategies to improve their recovery. Furthermore, all participants intend to “seek out positive social relationships and invest more deeply in community” because of their participation in this collaborative Extension program. 

In addition to growing produce, the agent provided additional opportunities for people in substance use recovery to explore ways to build self-efficacy through participating in additional activities like, growing/caring for houseplants and starting mushroom blocks for consumption. Furthermore, several participants commented that they enjoyed gardening because it “got stuff off my mind”.

At the end of the season, 7.2 pounds of produce were harvested, a value of $25.92 and yielding 1.75 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables, according to USDA calculations. Medical research indicates that proper nutrition, such as increasing intake of garden fruits and vegetables, can support physical healing of damage caused by substance use and stabilize emotional states, thereby decreasing the risk of recurrence. After harvest, participants had the opportunity to consume the produce and learned about the important role of food in recovery through classes lead by the NEP Assistant. Over 2024, 25 participants completed the Healthy Choices for your Recovering Body Curriculum.