Did you know that during the pandemic, seed sales have been going through the roof?

And that organic food sales were up 30% for the month of March?

And it’s no wonder - during stay at home orders we are much more in touch with our dependency on the food supply chain.

We’re minimizing our trips to the grocery store, and when we get there, many of the shelves are bare.

Add to that, many are short on cash, have more time on their hands, and are spending more time at home.

Your deck, balcony, or little plot of land outside is beckoning: “Plant and grow your own food!”

Backyard gardens are nothing new. During World War II, a huge global marketing campaign was launched among the US and our global allies for “Victory Gardens” to be planted by civilians, to support the troops and cut food costs.

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Many families’ elders had long-abandoned gardens “out back”, and were happy to replant them for the war effort.

Some gardens were located at private homes and others could be found in public parks, vacant lots, baseball diamonds, patios, and even window boxes!

20 million Americans stepped up and did their part to grow food.

By the end of the war, Victory Gardens had us growing 45% of our entire food source in our backyards.

And now? Sadly we are down to .01% of food being produced by backyard gardens.

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By 1946, many people stopped victory gardening when supplies increased and the invention of the “supermarket” appeared.

Because of our social structure and obsession with building wealth, we have divorced ourselves from the relationship with our own food. This strikes me as a tragic devolution!

But what if we used this time to turn that around and plant gardens again?

Particularly when you consider that not only do gardens give us food sovereignty and superior nutrition, but when the soil is managed regeneratively, gardens can help sequester carbon, thus solving the climate crisis!

I have dreamed of planting my own regenerative organic garden since we moved into where we live nearly four years ago.

I’ve given every possible excuse for not making it happen:

  • Non-stop travels

  • Limited time and busyness

  • The hungry herd of deer that will surely decimate whatever I plant

  • The hassle of figuring out proper fencing for the deer with the winds up here

But now I find myself at home and I’m sick of the excuses.

So I’m doing it.

I’m planting a Climate Victory Garden and partnering in this effort to get more families building gardens with Rodale Institute, the folks who coined the word, “organic” in 1942!

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If you care to join me and build your own Victory Garden, how ever large or small, head over to Rodale Institute’s Victory Gardens page and sign up for their special starter kit, join the community, and get tons of resources and a giveaway!

To learn more and follow along with my garden progress, here are some action steps and resources to help you get started:

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