In the hills of Eastern Kentucky, families struggled to provide fresh produce for their household. Limited access to grocery stores and high food prices made healthy meals difficult to come by.

That changed when they joined Grow Appalachia. More than forty families put in their applications, but only 40 could be accepted per the grant. The program provided these families with flats of vegetables for both spring and summer, heirloom seeds, seed potatoes, onion sets, hand tools, and hands-on training. We are also able to provide free soil testing. The monthly meetings are hosted by the Agriculture and Natural Resources agent who uses UK educational publications to help the families get the most out of their gardens. With the help of Extension and Grow Appalachia, members transformed their backyards into thriving gardens.

Out of the 40 families who submitted applications, more than 50% attend meetings monthly. 90% of the families have reported their gardens that are producing beautiful, healthy vegetables.