Thank you for a bit of history on Victory Gardens. In my little city garden, I started kale and lettuces by seed in a cold frame--they are now nestled in container pots. Along with tomatoes, snap peas, carrots, beets, and radishes, and many herbs. Soon I will supplement with cukes and squashes.
This will be my last year gardening in my urban plot. I've just purchased a small farm in WV where my garden and animals will thrive. Can't wait to get my hands dirty and eat the results. Peace...
Well, this made me cry. I'm sitting in my Parisian suburb looking out my window at a beautiful patch of lawn. If only it belonged to me! but I do have a balcony and now I have plans !
That was a great piece of history to share. Thank you. With the uncertain times being as they are , it is important to be prepared. Who would have thought that we would have formula crisis. I was raised on a farm, we had cattle, my mom would get 150 baby chickens to raise every year and when they were grown she would have the neighbor lady down the road kill them and pluck the feather out so they would ready to eat for the winter. She would throw them into the freezer. She always had a big garden. Mom would can the fruit and vegetables to have for the winter. Of course we would get to eat some fresh.
We grow a small garden every year. We have expanded our garden this year. We have a peach and an apple tree in our yard. I live in town. The blossoms on my apple tree were frozen do to a cold Spring. We hope we get peaches this year. They were blossoming this week but we also had below freezing temperatures this weeks. We had a bumper crop last year.
Take matters into your own hands.
Don’t look to the government to provide. Provide for yourself. If you don’t have room for a garden get pots and plant them with vegetables. You can grow strawberries in pots as well.
If you can have chickens in town get a few chickens. Be independent.
Thank you for this beautiful and empowering message, Jill and Robert 🌻
My hope is that the food crisis will prompt people to escape the industrially manufactured “food” that has been malnourishing and poisoning their bodies for decades, contributing to the cycle of sickness that feeds the medical-pharmaceutical complex.
Reconnecting with the earth and rediscovering your independence through growing your own food makes you more resilient, and if that isn’t possible due to lack of land/time (I admit I’m in this category), supporting your local farmers and producers strengthens the regional economy and contributes to the resilience of your community.
On another note, it was fun to see you both at the WCFH strategy session yesterday, if only virtually 🤗
My husband and I have been improving our gardens for the last several years. I can, and dehydrate, and share with others. AND we enjoy the birds, the deer not so much or the occasional bear. Thank you Jill and Robert for your continued efforts.
My parents passed their love of gardening to me. I am a city dweller with a house on a typical city lot. My garden is about 600 sq ft which is a nice size, lots of work but beyond rewarding. Not only do you get to enjoy watching everything grow and then eating your delicious, healthy produce but gardens attract birds, bees, yes even rabbits etc that is also a pleasure to see.
Youtube has great 'how to' videos from all over the world. There is no shortage of advice.
I live in southern Ontario where the winters will get cold: daytime -5 to -10 C and night time -10 to -30. However, I still grow my own lettuce even during the winter and put out seed that comes up in early spring with an easily put together green house, A few pieces of 2"x10" x length required planks covered with plexi glass work great.
If you live in an apartment, there are places that will rent a plot of land for you to farm. Do some digging, pun intended.
You are the Wendell Berry of our time, Mr. Malone. I once reserved the domain of FreeRangeGrange.org, and discussed with the Grange president (the first woman!) that we should have Granges in every neighborhood to promote local food production. This farmer collective--full name, the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry--was key to the Populist movement in the '20's that took back power for the people.
But they also were for an economic system that supported that. We're further away than ever, with two income families being necessary, sometimes working more than one job. What my plan creates is a feminine economy that prioritizes the raising of children as its purpose. In my design, food production is the major activity of a community and everyone works a few days a week on community land, learning from people who know what they're doing.
Sometimes the community I envision, and how logistically easy it would be to implement it, seems so tangible that it makes me tear up. So near and yet so far. Your focus on farming along with politics and medicine is what grounds your work, literally.
Sometimes…. I am amazed… at how a beautiful post meant to inspire a creative thought is received as preachy and privileged.
Allow me to explain… I have seen hydroponic tomatoes… growing in kitty litter.. to the ceiling on a sunny window sill… and a whole salad garden nestled on sills as well.. pollinated with a handy paint brush.
Out of a 20’ by 40’ space I fed the family… the neighbours and friends and put up enough root crops and winter squash to last all winter. I have seen amazing balconies… that were reminiscent of a tropical forest… squash and cucumbers on trellises and tall cherry tomato plants. And yes Virginia … I have a Lyme disease challenged and very precious niece… who grew a peach tree in Newfoundland. In this magical… beautiful world… anything is possible.
The actual quote was, "Was the government to prescribe to us our medicine and diet, our bodies would be in such keeping as our souls are now." - so basically it's a paraphrase of what he did say. Expect commies to scream disinformation.
Nice picture of some figs. I’ve got a fig tree too, they are very cool looking.
We started really ramping up our gardening several years ago...just before COVID. I’m in Florida and it feels like cheating because we can grow year round. For folks who maybe have limited space or a limited growing season, there are ways around this. You can build a cheap greenhouse or even dig into the soil and make suken garden. There is a show called Homestead Rescue that we watch sometimes, it’s pretty good and we have gotten a few ideas for our setup from there.
Great writing, very thoughtful and kind. We make kimchi, fermented vegetables, sauerkraut and kambucha and candles! With power outages supposedly coming our way, watch out for perishables in the freezer and deep freeze.
I read recently that the state of Victoria in Australia has made it illegal for citizens to grow their own food. I looked up the legislation that was quoted but couldn't really see that it was making backyard farming illegal. The reason that was given was 'to protect biodiversity'.
Does anyone have any knowledge of this?
Here's one link, the page I originally saw is gone:
One has never really experienced the good Lord's provision of produce in my opinion, until they've tasted what comes out of their own garden for the first time. Supermarket produce vs that from one's own garden is literally the difference between colorblindness and seeing in full color.
The Victory Garden.
Thank you for a bit of history on Victory Gardens. In my little city garden, I started kale and lettuces by seed in a cold frame--they are now nestled in container pots. Along with tomatoes, snap peas, carrots, beets, and radishes, and many herbs. Soon I will supplement with cukes and squashes.
This will be my last year gardening in my urban plot. I've just purchased a small farm in WV where my garden and animals will thrive. Can't wait to get my hands dirty and eat the results. Peace...
Well, this made me cry. I'm sitting in my Parisian suburb looking out my window at a beautiful patch of lawn. If only it belonged to me! but I do have a balcony and now I have plans !
That was a great piece of history to share. Thank you. With the uncertain times being as they are , it is important to be prepared. Who would have thought that we would have formula crisis. I was raised on a farm, we had cattle, my mom would get 150 baby chickens to raise every year and when they were grown she would have the neighbor lady down the road kill them and pluck the feather out so they would ready to eat for the winter. She would throw them into the freezer. She always had a big garden. Mom would can the fruit and vegetables to have for the winter. Of course we would get to eat some fresh.
We grow a small garden every year. We have expanded our garden this year. We have a peach and an apple tree in our yard. I live in town. The blossoms on my apple tree were frozen do to a cold Spring. We hope we get peaches this year. They were blossoming this week but we also had below freezing temperatures this weeks. We had a bumper crop last year.
Take matters into your own hands.
Don’t look to the government to provide. Provide for yourself. If you don’t have room for a garden get pots and plant them with vegetables. You can grow strawberries in pots as well.
If you can have chickens in town get a few chickens. Be independent.
Thank you for this beautiful and empowering message, Jill and Robert 🌻
My hope is that the food crisis will prompt people to escape the industrially manufactured “food” that has been malnourishing and poisoning their bodies for decades, contributing to the cycle of sickness that feeds the medical-pharmaceutical complex.
Reconnecting with the earth and rediscovering your independence through growing your own food makes you more resilient, and if that isn’t possible due to lack of land/time (I admit I’m in this category), supporting your local farmers and producers strengthens the regional economy and contributes to the resilience of your community.
On another note, it was fun to see you both at the WCFH strategy session yesterday, if only virtually 🤗
My husband and I have been improving our gardens for the last several years. I can, and dehydrate, and share with others. AND we enjoy the birds, the deer not so much or the occasional bear. Thank you Jill and Robert for your continued efforts.
What a great article! Thanks Dr. Malone!
My parents passed their love of gardening to me. I am a city dweller with a house on a typical city lot. My garden is about 600 sq ft which is a nice size, lots of work but beyond rewarding. Not only do you get to enjoy watching everything grow and then eating your delicious, healthy produce but gardens attract birds, bees, yes even rabbits etc that is also a pleasure to see.
Youtube has great 'how to' videos from all over the world. There is no shortage of advice.
I live in southern Ontario where the winters will get cold: daytime -5 to -10 C and night time -10 to -30. However, I still grow my own lettuce even during the winter and put out seed that comes up in early spring with an easily put together green house, A few pieces of 2"x10" x length required planks covered with plexi glass work great.
If you live in an apartment, there are places that will rent a plot of land for you to farm. Do some digging, pun intended.
You are the Wendell Berry of our time, Mr. Malone. I once reserved the domain of FreeRangeGrange.org, and discussed with the Grange president (the first woman!) that we should have Granges in every neighborhood to promote local food production. This farmer collective--full name, the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry--was key to the Populist movement in the '20's that took back power for the people.
But they also were for an economic system that supported that. We're further away than ever, with two income families being necessary, sometimes working more than one job. What my plan creates is a feminine economy that prioritizes the raising of children as its purpose. In my design, food production is the major activity of a community and everyone works a few days a week on community land, learning from people who know what they're doing.
Sometimes the community I envision, and how logistically easy it would be to implement it, seems so tangible that it makes me tear up. So near and yet so far. Your focus on farming along with politics and medicine is what grounds your work, literally.
Sometimes…. I am amazed… at how a beautiful post meant to inspire a creative thought is received as preachy and privileged.
Allow me to explain… I have seen hydroponic tomatoes… growing in kitty litter.. to the ceiling on a sunny window sill… and a whole salad garden nestled on sills as well.. pollinated with a handy paint brush.
Out of a 20’ by 40’ space I fed the family… the neighbours and friends and put up enough root crops and winter squash to last all winter. I have seen amazing balconies… that were reminiscent of a tropical forest… squash and cucumbers on trellises and tall cherry tomato plants. And yes Virginia … I have a Lyme disease challenged and very precious niece… who grew a peach tree in Newfoundland. In this magical… beautiful world… anything is possible.
The actual quote was, "Was the government to prescribe to us our medicine and diet, our bodies would be in such keeping as our souls are now." - so basically it's a paraphrase of what he did say. Expect commies to scream disinformation.
Nice picture of some figs. I’ve got a fig tree too, they are very cool looking.
We started really ramping up our gardening several years ago...just before COVID. I’m in Florida and it feels like cheating because we can grow year round. For folks who maybe have limited space or a limited growing season, there are ways around this. You can build a cheap greenhouse or even dig into the soil and make suken garden. There is a show called Homestead Rescue that we watch sometimes, it’s pretty good and we have gotten a few ideas for our setup from there.
Great writing, very thoughtful and kind. We make kimchi, fermented vegetables, sauerkraut and kambucha and candles! With power outages supposedly coming our way, watch out for perishables in the freezer and deep freeze.
many cities and counties have outlawed gardens, especially in front yards. i don't know how they got away with it and why people did not fight it!
Why does our current regime just send out divisive messages instead of something like this? Rhetorical question.
Thanks Dr. M. !
I read recently that the state of Victoria in Australia has made it illegal for citizens to grow their own food. I looked up the legislation that was quoted but couldn't really see that it was making backyard farming illegal. The reason that was given was 'to protect biodiversity'.
Does anyone have any knowledge of this?
Here's one link, the page I originally saw is gone:
https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/australia-citizens-of-victoria-are-reportedly-banned-from-growing-their-own-food/
Now here's a reuters fact check link debuning the claim:
https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-australia-agriculture-idUSL2N2X40ZQ
Where lies the truth?
Great to have a positive idea to act on. Thanks for this inspiring post.
One has never really experienced the good Lord's provision of produce in my opinion, until they've tasted what comes out of their own garden for the first time. Supermarket produce vs that from one's own garden is literally the difference between colorblindness and seeing in full color.