and suburban gardening were on the increase . Yet we did not see lawns , parks and empty lots everywhere being transformed into gardens , as was the case during the World Wars . 2 The 20th century Victory Garden movement was a symbol of national unity and patriotism that prevailed as a cause for the common good . Perhaps this was because the country was already unified by the war effort at that time , and the shortages were more prolonged .
As the pandemic evolved , most of the shortages that made headlines in the beginning of the crisis gradually ended . We can get toilet paper again , and the grocery aisles have been largely replenished . Perhaps we ’ ve been lulled into thinking that it ’ s only a matter of time before things get back to normal , or that even if the crises continues , the supply chain issues have been worked out . One wonders if the gardening fervor has already tapered off .
So , if we ’ re not all that concerned about what ’ s on the grocery shelves anymore ( whether or not we should be ) why not just go back to relying on the existing food system ? Because whether or not the pandemic itself has any further affect on the availability of provisions , there are other solid reasons to source our food closer to home .
Supply chains can be easily affected by several factors . If you live in Montgomery County , Maryland , for instance , consider how many steps it takes to get that supermarket tomato out of the ground in California ( where it was most likely grown ), to your plate on the other side of the country . We ’ re talking about harvesting , processing , packaging , shipping ( often thousands of miles ), distribution to retail outlets , then to the supermarket display and finally , into your home for consumption . So many occurrences , including fuel or labor shortages , economic downturn , infrastructure breakdown , global and domestic politics and weather events , can suddenly affect the price and availability of so many products that we use every day . Compare that to grabbing a tomato outside your kitchen door or from that container on the patio . There is also the issue of chemical exposure and nutrient density . Our industrialized food not only exposes us to hundreds of chemical compounds through fertilizers and pesticides used in growing crops , but has compromised the nutrient value of much of the nation ’ s food supply , and consequently our national health , through these chemical inputs and soil degradation . You ’ re unlikely to find , in any supermarket , the flavor , variety and health benefits of what you can obtain from your own garden or local farms . 3
So what about all of those reasons people give for not trying to grow food , such as no space , for instance ? No matter where you are , whether on acreage , the suburbs or a small apartment in the city , you can grow something . You might not realize the potential of a sunny window to grow nutrient dense microgreens all year round , your patio pots , or a jar on your countertop for fresh , crunchy sprouts . Growing things vertically and in containers offers endless possibilities , as well as the smallest of garden plots giving enormous yields in just a few square feet . Resources on small-space gardening abound , all you need is to open yourself up to the realization that you don ’ t need acres and acres of land to grow food . You can grow something edible wherever you live !
What about time ? Doesn ’ t gardening take hours and hours of planting , weeding , and watering ? Not so . Numerous techniques such as lasagna gardening , mulching , dense planting and strategic plant selection can reduce your time working in the garden exponen-
8 plenty I autumn harvest 2020