Thank You, Gardeners

Why do you garden? Is it a passion that was instilled in you from a young age? Did you pick it up later in life as a relaxing but challenging hobby? Do you garden for all wildlife or are you working to bring back the monarchs? Whatever your reason, I’d like to take a moment to say, “Thank You.”

Thank you for continuing to be curious about the latest and greatest additions to the garden centre; for questioning GMOs and reverting to heirloom varieties; for showing your own kids, the neighbourhood kids, or co-workers the value in gardening; and thank you for bringing back the home vegetable garden.

A Victory for Vegetables
I’m a bit of a history buff so here’s a short history lesson for you. Years ago, during World Wars I and II, the vegetable garden a common sight and not just in the homeowner’s yard. Victory Gardens were found in private and public areas. With food sources scarce and incomes low, a vegetable garden at every home was seen as a way to reduce hunger and pressure on food supplies. During World War I, over five million Victory Gardens were started; World War II saw this number increase to over 19 million.

Today, it is estimated that over 42 million home vegetable gardens exist in the US – with Canada not far behind. These numbers are incredibly inspiring and are only looking to increase. And again, I say, “Thank You!” For you are the change this country needs.

But that’s not even the most inspiring part. When we look at who is gardening, the industry is seeing the younger generation taking on the veggie challenge: that is, the 18-34 demographic. All of you youngsters are the up and coming owners of so many of these sustainable, affordable gardens and there’s a reason for that: they just make sense.

– It’s affordable and educational
– You know where it came from and what was put on it
– It’s always fresher than anything you could buy from the store
– It’s likely you’ll have some to give away, which is a great feeling
– If you involve your kids, you are inspiring them, teaching them, helping them understand food doesn’t grow on the grocery store shelf

For the next month, I’m going to be writing about vegetable gardening: how to take advantage of even the smallest spaces, where to find great resources, veggie gardening for eating year round, and more. Stay tuned, these exciting ideas combined with spring (finally) are going to make the next month a good one for sure.