Thursday, April 3, 2008

Bring Back the Victory Garden

The April issue of WNC Woman is out and filled with great food articles but the one that caught my attention is Bring Back the Victory Garden written by Diana Cerce. Diana has been at this gardening/homesteading thing for a while at URBAN OASIS in West Asheville.

from the article......
Rather than grow a garden as a way to support war, let the victory instead come from knowing exactly what we are eating. Feel empowered by the relationships formed from participating in the full cycle of a plant's life, from garden to table, instead of contributing to the war effort. The new Victory Garden can reduce our dependence on government subsidized agribusiness adding a sense of security with each new vegetable, herb and fruit garden we add. Let the civic morale be about the satisfaction of knowing we as a community gardening together can become more self reliant. Growing food gardens in the city can promote community interaction as well when we poke our faces over the fence to ask "How's it growing in your garden today?" We can still make the Victory Garden part of our daily life, though now with the added benefits of becoming part of a community.

I am loving that more and more folks are interested the empowerment that comes with taking control of our own food supply. The gal who tends the plants at a local hardware store told me yesterday that people are planting tomatoes and peppers instead of flowers this year. It just makes sense...beautiful and edible.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lovely, Beth. I lived in Grove Park for two years. We are on the same page. You have an ally in me. I will add you to my faves list and will come back often to see what you are up to. LOVE your quotes. Kathryn

Anonymous said...

Yes!!! I'm planning to devote soem containers on the deck to chard and other decorative greens this year (if the cats will let me), in addition to the veggie beds. (And I love the quotes too--the OSC quote is hysterical!)

Anonymous said...

I love watching my veggies grow from seed too. I was gone for a week and when I returned today, first thing I did was kiss the dog and head outside to say hi to my lovelies!
Shirley

ash said...

Hi, Great to see your wonderful blog. Found you through BlogAsheville.

I blog over at Ashvegas (www.ashevilleblog.com).

I hope you'll join in with the community photo shoot we're doing April 18 and 19 - A Day in the Life of Asheville. Go to www.ditlo.org for all the info.

Cheers!

j

Arwen said...

I also found you through Blogasheville. I live in Abermarle park and am putting in a garden big enough to feed 3 familes this summer! I love victory gardens.

Anonymous said...

Beth, Thanks so much for sharing this article. Very inspiring!
I found you through the Urban Homesteaders Ring and look forward to reading your blog in the future.

eve said...

Hi Beth, I whole heartedly agree and it seems that many around the country are sharing the same sentiment.
Its time to speak up.
Here is a petition urging the next leadership of our country to renew a Victory Garden Campaign:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/letsbringbackthevictorygarden/

Bring the Victory!

-Eve from South Carolina