As the Marshall County Master Gardeners began to plant seeds for their annual plant sale, they shared the knowledge of seed starting during a seed swap at the lodge at Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park on Feb. 14.
The group has worked in partnership with the park for many years, but 2025 saw the implementation of a quarterly program hosted by the master gardeners at the park’s sustainability garden. As the need for a February program arose, concerns about the weather led to hesitancy to host anything at the garden.
The group soon realized that February was approximately the same time that they began to plant seeds for the annual plant sale held in May. From there, the idea blossomed into a seed swap, during which the club could share methods and tips about seed starting.
While many attended for the seed swap, Master Gardener Bill Dibert said a number of attendees expressed interest in joining the organization, as well as the Junior Master Gardener program.
“We’ve gotten a lot of interest for the Master Gardener class, a lot of signups for that,” said Dibert. “We’ve got some signups also from the Junior Master Gardeners over the corner. We haven’t had much traffic with the kids, but we’ve had parents and grandparents that have interest in getting their kids involved in it, so that’s been a good thing.”
In addition to seed starting demonstrations, a children’s seed starting station, and the seed swap table, the event also offered the opportunity to purchase a $25 gift certificate to the annual plant sale for only $20.
Following the positive turn out for the event, the group is considering hosting an annual seed swap, though no official decisions have been made. However, quarterly events are set to continue at the park throughout 2026.
“This coincides with us planting seeds for our plant sale, so it’s kind of an annual thing,” said Dibert. “It seems to make sense that we could do this annually, but that’ll be up to the park.”
The group hopes to offer the Master Gardener class again in the fall of 2026. Those interested in signing up may do so at any event, or by contacting the Marshall County University of Kentucky Agriculture Extension Office. The Junior Master Gardeners club meets once a week at the extension office.
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