During World War II, Americans responded to pressure on the public food supply by growing fruits and vegetables at home.
These “victory gardens” were planted in backyards and on apartment rooftops, in big cities and small rural towns, and in every corner of the country. Victory gardens came to be part of everyday life in America. Today, some people are re-purposing this wartime effort on the home front into a modern strategy to combat rising grocery bills, economic uncertainty and global warming.
Having a vegetable patch right outside your door has many benefits. Most notably, growing your own vegetables is an easy way to save money on groceries. A small investment in seeds and supplies combined with just a little sweat equity can reap pounds of fruits and vegetables over one season. Canning or jarring the surplus from each crop allows you to enjoy the bounty of the your harvest throughout the year.
Initiate a “canning or jarring” party. Have friends come over and make a day of it!
I remember getting together with friends and pickling and baking pies. We had a great time. We were able to jar one month, and bake the next. When winter set in, it was well worth tasting the homemade food, as well as being able to provide for the holidays as a gift, which was much appreciated. In addition to the economic benefit, home-grown vegetables are fresher and often more flavorful than grocery store produce. By taking charge of your own greens, you needn’t be concerned about unknown chemical pesticides affecting the vegetables you eat. This is a wonderful time to use gardening as a stress-reliever, a chance for alone time and peaceful reflection. Gardening can be a great activity for the whole family. Local gardens also help fight global warming, and they eliminate the need for fuel to transport food thousands of miles from farm to table.
You don’t need to have a large available space at home in order to start a vegetable garden. A well-tended smaller garden will actually yield more vegetables than a larger counterpart that is ill-managed. If you live in an apartment or if space is very limited, you can choose to grow in containers housed on a deck or balcony. If you live in a condominium, or apartment complex, look for an open space where you can utilize that space to grow a garden and make it available to anyone that wants to participate.
I have seen areas where there is “common space” that has been turned into a “community” vegetable garden. They have been sub-divided by households that tend to these gardens, growing flowers, or vegetables. There are areas in our city, and neighborhoods, that can be transformed. We don’t have to “own” the space, we just need to take care of it.
When we look at dirt or space that is not “producing,” maybe we need to look at it differently and get back to the basics of taking care of our planet.
Earth Day is approaching, and maybe it’s time that we each did our part. If you see a space that looks like you can turn it into a “neighborhood” project, then maybe it’s time you did. As a community, let’s make changes and be proud of where we live — and what we are able to do with our “green” space.
Tricia Ackerman is an agent with Prudential Northwest Realty in Federal Way: TriciaAckerman@pnwrealty.com or www.triciaackerman.com.
