Gardens…are you old enough to remember?

Gardens…are you old enough to remember?

Do you remember Victory Gardens?  Not the show, which was in Boston on television for a very long time.. maybe still is..

But the original 1940’s Victory Gardens that the President asked of the citizens.  It was during World War II.  While I was a little kid during that time.. 1 to 5 years old, during it. I remember doing the weeding..  We had a good size lot that Mom and Dad..  made into our Victory Garden..   She grew all kinds of vegetables.  It did well, but because we had horses..   equaling horse manure.  It was used as a horse pasture for a year before the war started.

Everyone was doing it..  even the Vanderbilt’s who had two farms in that area.  I can remember the big metal gate on their field with a large V-V for Vanderbilt Victory Garden.

Mom did very well with our garden..  especially when she had her own private weeder… ME.. My brother wasn’t born until just before the war ended.   She still had it for many years.. and added a flower garden that she sold flowers from.  There was a produce stand down at the end of the street, that she sold them to him.. Maybe some vegetables as well.   I remember the bachelor button flowers.. They were a stiff flower.  And by that time she gain another weeder.  My brother… when wasn’t fooling around and throwing weeds at me.

Now days, there are a lot of people.. my youngest for one.. and a son also and his wife..  are doing bigger gardens this year.  They want to get away from the chemicals that are in so many of the produce that is sold at the store.

I will have to remember to tell her to save the seeds with so many companies going to seedless produce.  Which is brought on by one of the big companies. Modesto, I think .. maybe not.. But you will see that some stores advertise.. that  they are selling the seed that will produce seeds for furthering planting in the next years.  

Gardening isn’t for the light of heart.. as there is a LOT of work. Not just the tilling and planting..  and as I said above.. weeding..  but watching the news..  Hoping the weather holds in the fall, so the tomatoes will ripen in time..  And if you are lucky enough to get corn to go to full term.  Running out and covering plants when there is an unexpected frost coming in.   And if you get serious enough.. you build a green house..  so the next year you can put starter plants in.. to lengthen your growing time. 

So all those out there..  Hang in there. It is worth in the long run..

Even finding someone to water for you while you go on vacation… unless you can figure out an automatic watering system.

Oh, then there is canning.. or freezing your produce.. fun times.  But come December and January.. you will be seen  watching the snow.. and eating your bounty with a smile on your face..  hopefully.