Sunday, February 8, 2009

Gardening for Victory Again

The Victory Garden, Again!
Experienced and first-time gardeners during World War II, planted vegetable gardens to grow produce in suburban, urban, and rural areas. These were called victory gardens. Back in the '40s, resources of all kinds were being diverted to support national war efforts. Countries asked their citizens to help in every way that they could.
People tended their victory gardens basically for their own use and to share the overabundant bounty with neighbors. These concepts are very foreign to us in our post-war, global economy. For years we have been bombarded by marketing messages of consumerism, reliance on others, and having experienced nearly constant economic growth since the '40s. Victory Gardens came in every shape and size. Patches of lawn were turned over to create gardens large enough to feed their families through the summer and, sometimes, to preserve some for winter use. People conserved raw materials, they recycled, they rallied behind the troops, they helped their neighbors, they gave their lives, and they planted "Gardens for Victory".
People in , rural and urban areas alike, worked the soil to raise food for their families, friends, and neighbors. Victory gardening enabled more supplies to be shipped to our troops around the world.
A whole generation has grown up without knowing self reliance. As our future unfolds, we are losing the experiences and knowledge of the Great Depression and WW II.
The strong economy's of the 1980s and 1990s has begun to weaken, and there are lessons to be learned from the past. It is always a good time to plant your own "Victory Garden". Now more than ever, the lessons learned and the benefits of family's doing victory gardening together are priceless and beyond comparison to anything we have ever been able to buy off of a grocers shelf.

The modern victory garden should expand the original intent. Your garden should include an extra row or bed you plant specifically to share-with those who lack the means to grow their own. Plant a row, or more, for the hungry and distribute the produce to a nearby soup kitchen or food bank. This is how everyone can make a difference in the area where you live.
Plant A Row for the Hungry began as a grass roots program, which, under the auspices of the Garden Writers Association of America, continues to expand. Last year it was responsible for providing more than 1 million pounds of fresh produce to food banks, soup kitchens, and other organizations feeding the hungry across the country.
Why plant a victory garden?
Today our food travels an average of 1500 miles from farm to table. The process of planting, fertilizing, processing, packaging, and transporting our food uses a great deal of energy and contributes to the cause of global pollution.
Our current economic situation is another good reason to start a Victory Garden. Every time that food is shipped from the farm to the store and your table, gasoline is used. As gasoline prices rise, food costs rise. Remember the lessons from the past, self reliance can translate into money in remaining in your pocket and better health. Foods which use fewer chemical pesticides are better for you and cost less to produce. In addition they are healthier for you to consume.
You should plant what you like to eat. If you don't like spinach, then don't plant it.
Suggested Vegetables and Herbs for a Victory Garden
basil, onions, beets, oregano, broccoli, parsley, Brussels, sprouts, peas, bush beans, potatoes, carrots ,radishes, chives, spinach, cilantro, summer squash, cucumbers, Swiss chard, dill, sweet corn ,eggplant, thyme, lettuce, tomatoes, melons, whatever you like to eat you should try planting in your personal victory garden. Once there was a small boy who wanted popcorn so he planted some from the store bought brand bag he had discovered in the cabinet. To his mothers surprise it grew and the whole family enjoyed eating popcorn that their son had grown.
Show off your victory garden and make the Most of Your Space. Harvest more than once from the same row or bed by inter planting and succession planting. Follow vegetables that grow best in cool weather, such as radishes and lettuce, with warm-weather crops, such as tomatoes and peppers. Purchase bedding plants of tomatoes, peppers and eggplant.
A few winning combinations: * radishes and summer squash * lettuce and peppers or tomatoes * lettuce and pole beans * peas and cucumbers * beans and sweet corn * beans, sweet corn, and pumpkins. Show off your victory garden. A good idea is to surround the beds or the perimeter of the garden with a border of red, white, and blue flowers. * Saliva, Zinnia, Vinca, Estonia, Verbena, Zinnia, Zinnia, Snapdragon, Shasta Daisy, Estonia, Nierembergia, Verbena, Celia.

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