Gardening means so many positive things to me that I was having a hard time finding just the right phrase to title my new series. I gave serious consideration to “Kelly Does Dirt,” “Dirty Fingernails Are Nature’s Perfect Manicure,” “Fresh Veggies Are Better Than Making Whoopee,” …well, you get the picture. In other words, I was having a hard core creativity block.
When I gave up brainstorming and closed my laptop, the title “Victory Garden” popped into my head. I realized I didn’t even know the history of the term. So, I “Wikied” it. *I’m guessing I utilize the resource at least once a day. Here’s what I learned:
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 United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Germany[1] during World War I and World War II to reduce the pressure on the public food supply brought on by the war effort. In addition to 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 become a part of daily life on the home front.
What a gift! History had at that moment handed me what I needed. It seems that there has been somewhat of a resurgence the past few years in private residence and public community gardens. Further, my gardens have been my own personal morale booster; they truly have helped me feel empowered by the contribution to our family and health. The “reward of labor” comes almost daily at the height of summer’s harvest.
