With the pandemic having people at home more than ever, there was a greater interest in learning gardening skills by our families.  The Cooperative Extension Service noticed an increase in questions related to different garden types, best management practices and preservation techniques of personally raised vegetables.  Green County 4-H applied for a Kentucky 4-H Foundation grant to establish a garden club for our youth and families.  The $620 grant would be used to purchase seeds, transplants and supplies that were used in the monthly educational meetings. Twenty-five families initially committed; any of the families had multiple youth participating in the program.  

One of the first educational meetings explained the different types of gardens.  72% of the families chose to grow their vegetables in a raised bed or container garden, new methods for them that were appropriate for their homes.  The remaining families chose the traditional garden plot.  A main educational focus of the meetings was encouraging the youth to try new vegetables; most youth would try a small bite.  Some of the new favorites by youth who had thought they did not like certain vegetables, but in fact, they had never tried them, were asparagus, tomatoes, and zucchini.  We encouraged the youth to send pictures of their gardens and the new vegetables they were growing.  

 Another element of the Garden Club was integration with our community’s Farmers Market. Three youth have been selling their produce regularly at the Farmers Market. While they have not gotten rich yet, they are continuing to sell late summer and fall produce as it becomes ripe later in the season. The grant allowed the youth to participate in the market without having to pay the set-up fee which lowered the entry cost for the families. The families have enjoyed the Garden Club as it is an activity the entire family can be involved.   

 Garden Club youth learn preservation techniques in storing their produce.