Why Every Garden is a Victory Garden

Stewardship Garden

I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m posting about gardening when we’ve just entered our last month of summer.  Well, just like the seasons of the year, for me there’s beauty in every stage of gardening. Using the word victory with gardening just makes sense because as the season progresses you feel lots of little victories.  We have president Roosevelt to thank for the term ‘victory garden’.  The year- 1943. The Roosevelts promoted gardening as a way to reduce the demands on our country’s resources. Most of the world was at war during the first half of the 20th century, our resources were being drained, and they got our country on board with gardening.  It was a huge success and I love how something so simple and basic like gardening rallied the country making such a positive impact during war times.   For me, all gardens are victory gardens.  From one plant to an acre of plants there’s benefits and beauty in all of them.

View of my garden from the bathroom window

Beauty 

In my family, it’s very natural for us to walk around each other’s garden and ooh and awe over its beauty.  This begins with the first till and continues throughout the season ending with the layer of mulched leaves putting the garden to rest for the winter.  We appreciate it for what it is, what it’s capable of and it’s fun!   I’ve added a view of my garden from the bathroom window because I love to stand there while I brush my teeth and take in the view.  Seriously.

Paul (#6) picking tomatoes in his ‘victory garden’

One With Nature 

I love to till the earth.  Well, just ask my husband.  Actually, it’s kind of a joke.  This past March, I just felt like I should be working outside -you know, that restless early spring feeling and Tom says, ‘go till the garden’.   He knows how much I enjoy it and once it starts it keeps going.  It so much fun to see the dirt change with each till.  It’s relaxing and a good time to reflect, pray and get a little exercise.  I really do fill connected with nature in this very simple act of tilling a garden.  And then there’s the smell.  What is it about the smell of dirt?  To me, it has such a clean smell.   When we lived in the country, I loved the smell of the freshly tilled fields.  It doesn’t get any better!

Don Rakers sorting potatoes at the Stewardship garden

Love the Taste – Taste the Love 

There have been volumes written on the goodness of homegrown fruits and vegetables but there is something special about fruit and vegetables coming from your own backyard or locally grown. Just like a home cooked meal, freshly picked produce added to a meal is a time to savor. Grow organically and you not only add to the taste but you know what you’re getting.  Freshness at it’s best!

Zucchini – Stewardship Garden

Fulfilling

You don’t have to be a master gardener to feel the accomplishments of growing your own fruits and vegetables.  It’s fun to talk to people about their gardens and ask questions to the really experienced gardeners.  When it comes to gardening, advice is plentiful.  We all have our reasons for planting and I guess that’s what makes it so interesting and fun to talk about. With gardening, you feel a level of achievement every step of the way.  From the first till, to planting, to picking weeds, and harvesting – your labors are visible and you get a real sense of accomplishment.

Stewardship Garden – Freeburg, IL

Sharing

If you have ever gardened you know about sharing.  There’s always that point when the bounty seems to be coming in all at once and you have to share.  You want to share!  It’s fun to share!  That brings me to the Stewardship Garden at the edge of my hometown.   I guess the best way to describe this group it to say they heard a Gospel message and put it into action.  The day I dropped by and asked to take pictures they had picked over 300 pounds of produce.  Yes, that’s a lot of vegetables.  They are a committed group of volunteers and attribute everything to the Good Lord and the workings of the Holy Spirit.  They donate their bounty locally and to Cosgrove’s Kitchen which is a local food bank feeding 300 people daily.  What love!

One of Paul’s sunflowers

It’s time to start thinking about fall planting.  Yes, it will get cool again I promise and you will be glad you added one more planting to your garden before giving it a winter rest.  I’ve included a couple of articles below if you’d like to read a little more about victory gardens and the history of vegetable gardens.

victory gardens at a glance  

a brief history of vegetable gardening    

Please consider leaving a comment about your garden or maybe your desire to someday garden. The Sock Box 10 community would love to hear from you!

Thanks for stopping by,  Rose