Year 2 Victory Garden
Hey, I went outside!
Sorry I've been so quiet as of late. I've been busy cleaning up the house from Christmas madness AND planning out this years garden. Do you all know about Victory Gardens? Heres a wiki blurb to help if you dont!
"Victory gardens, also called war gardens or food gardens for defense, were vegetable, fruit, and herb gardens planted at private residences and public parks in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Germany[1][2] during World War I and World War II. In wartime, governments encouraged people to plant victory gardens not only to supplement their rations but also to boost morale.[3] They were used along with Rationing Stamps and Cards to reduce pressure on the public food supply. Besides indirectly aiding the war effort, these gardens were also considered a civil "morale booster" in that gardeners could feel empowered by their contribution of labor and rewarded by the produce grown. This made victory gardens a part of daily life on the home front."
Last year in all of the chaos, I started a Victory Garden. It was pretty on the outset, but it struggled, kind of like the whole of 2020. I live in California, I always have, our climate is a little different. Where I'm at specifically we have a long growing season. This year I'm trying to take advantage of that, by planning it out! I have enough space in the yard that I think if I plan it right, I can get the soil to work in my favor [?]... lol. Actually on second thought, we'll see on that one. My official last frost date is at the end of the month so I'm starting to prep the yard a little at a time, so i'm not a big ball of mud at the end of the day. (it's been raining here) ...I know planting a garden isn't cute food jewelry, but IT IS about food! I'm sure if you know me, you know that I love all things about food. This is from growing and picking, to the science of why something fails to raise.... theres something so beautiful in the breakdown, you can always learn from it. Yes, I'm a food nerd. I think you understand this by now lol.
Why a Victory Garden during the time of Covid? Well, because in the wake of so much death and tragedy, I NEEDED to see something thrive. I planted. And planted. And eventually, hummingbirds were hopping in the trees, bees were coming out to see what was in bloom and then... The butterflies came. When I was a child, I loved butterflies. As I got older, I stopped caring as much, because I forgot about the magic. One day, out of no where, there it was. I looked around to see new things growing, all the life buzzing about, my dogs romping in the grass, the whole energy of the yard had transformed. All of a sudden I remembered why I loved to chase those illusive flashes of color, and fall asleep on fresh cut grass. I was recreating the yard my mom had made when I as a child, a happy place. My mom has always been happily out in the garden, even now you can find here pacing the perimeter, "just checking". She has taught me everything I know, and now I'm showing her new things I've found out. The garden had an effect on everyone in my family, I think we all needed to see a real garden again. We needed to see new life, we needed colors, and hope, and even if it was my first garden and I had some ups and downs; it was more than enough to absolutely sure I'll be planting for years to come.
Sincerely,
Hilary.