On to Victory!

I have been having a few blog ideas lately and I've been meaning to write about Victory Gardens for the last month. I was pleasantly surprised when my good friend Amber, with Grow It Forward, referenced Victory Gardens in a recent post. Great minds think alike, I guess! By the way, if you live in the Manitowoc area and you are not familiar with Grow it Forward, you need to be. Check them out at grow-it-forward.org.

Some readers are no doubt familiar with Victory Gardens. During World War II, feeding the troops was important. The government actively encouraged citizens to grow their own food to help reduce the need of rationing and to lower the price of food so the government could spend money elsewhere for the war effort. And while the posters were nationalistic, some even sexist by today's standards, they were effective. According to the USDA, at one point, one third of the vegetables consumed by Americans came from Victory Gardens. Other countries did this as well.

I have gardened all of my adult life. I even earned Corn Farming merit badge in scouting! And while I understand this may not be a passion to the same degree with many people, I think it is time to bring back the Victory Gardens. I feel we need to be less dependent on others for our food. I am reminded of the not-so-old adage, "If you give a woman a tomato, you feed her for lunch. If you give her a tomato plant, you feed her for a season. And if you teach her to plant and preserve, you feed her for life."

Last weekend I started my seedlings. I tend to start them a bit early to ensure that I have robust plants to put in the ground when it is time. About every three years I dive fully into canning tomatoes and salsa. This is a canning year so I am focusing on varieties of tomatoes that make a nice, rich sauce. Of course, I'll have the usual cast of vegetables as well. This morning, I was watering my 400+ seedlings to be and I noticed that the first plant to pop up was a Sun Gold Tomato, my favorite! I shared this photo with a friend and she wrote, "There's something about that, that gives such hope." I agree, there is much hope in gardening.

Yesterday afternoon I spent about five hours in the yard, some of it getting my garden space ready. I have a large garden and this year I want to maximize the space. Usually my strategy is to plant a lot and not worry about weeds so much. This year, I think I need to be more focused. When I was pulling up fencing, stakes and forgotten tomato cages, I found a short row of spinach that I planted in November. I forgot I did that so it was a nice surprise. I have planted spinach in containers outside and I still have some spinach from the store so this bit in the garden will be good to eat when I am in need. Once the soil dries out more, I'll give it some TLC. Rain is in the forecast for the next couple of days. Despite the soil being a little wet, that didn't stop me from planting a few short rows of peas. Hopefully, in early June, I'll be rewarded with a tasty coming attraction of summer.

There are things you can do to take a small step toward self-sufficiency. When I used my green onions from the store, I put the root ends in some dirt. I had room under my grow light so I just put the container under the glowing light. I now have fresh green onions to add to my meals, making one more reason why I can avoid grocery shopping. On our back patio and in our driveway, I have containers with spinach, lettuce and kale seeds. Hopefully they will soon be popping up to further add to my future salad bowl. I also plan to add some green onions to one of the pots outside. This will free up some space under my grow light.

As with any endeavor there are two schools of thought: Start small, or Go big or go home. Whichever route you choose, just think of the ancient Chinese wisdom, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." My friend and I didn't have a chance to conduct our Seed Swap at Grow it Forward this year due to the quarantine. Hopefully we can next year. It isn't too late to get some seeds and take the plunge into soil. And if you miss the opportunity, I will most likely have plants to share. And if you aren't in to eating plants, you can use them as bait to attract animals to eat. I don't judge. Coming out of this tragic disruption to our lives and society, it is important that we think about what the scene looks like on the other side. For me, I see a more regional economic and community model. With that in mind, I encourage you to begin your march on to victory, with a garden.