VICTORY GARDENS ARE MAKING A COMEBACK

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VICTORY GARDENS ARE MAKING A COMEBACK By Jan Cashman

If there is a positive to come out of the Coronovirus pandemic, it War I, they came to be called

is that people have gone back to gardening. Staying home has given people the time to garden and the desire to grow healthy

are apparent. While the “stay- at- home” orders leave us with a feeling of helplessness, gardening leaves us feeling empowered. Garden

“Victory Gardens.” Food rationing in the spring of 1942 (World War II) brought on the resurgence food for their families. The benefits of fresh air and relaxing exercise of Victory Gardens. People were

ers are in control and less anxious when they don’t have to depend on the grocery store for their total diet.

In our garden center, we have seen a huge resurgence in gardening. Vegetable seeds are in short trying. My husband Jerry calls the new popularity of gardening the “Corona Victory Garden.” they gardened in flower boxes on balconies and apartment rooftops. Eleanor Roosevelt even started a garden on the White House lawn. Rural citizens were encouraged to grow huge gardens that could prosupply and sold out earlier than ever before. Tomato and vegetable Victory Garden History: During World War I, the public was duce enough vegetables for a year for the whole family. Crops that plants are selling faster than we can encouraged to garden to help feed could be grown easily and canned grow them! These days everyone starving people in Europe. At or stored well such as beans, beets, seems to be gardening; raised bed first the gardens were called “War tomatoes, cabbage, carrots, kohlragardening is what gardeners are Gardens,” but by the end of World bi, squash, and potatoes were sug

encouraged to use any idle land— parks, playgrounds, vacant lots, backyards—to grow food. In cities,

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gested. The government realized that these Victory Gardens were a good thing, not only for the food they produced, but because gardening boosted the public’s patriotism and morale.

Whether you are a first-time gardener, long-time gardener, gardening in a raised bed, in the ground, or in pots on your balcony, it is springtime in the Rockies. So get out there and plant something! Gardening therapy will turn off the stress. Jan Cashman has operated Cashman Nursery in Bozeman with her husband, Jerry, since 1975.