TO
TO SAY
TO SAY THAT AMERICANS ARE GOING THROUGH DIFFICULT TIMES THESE
DAYS. THE COVID-19
PANDEMIC HAS REACHED
INTO EVERY FACET OF OUR
LIVES. BUT TWO OR THREE
GENERATIONS AGO,
AMERICANS RALLIED
AROUND AN IDEA THAT
PROVIDED MUCH NEEDED
FOOD, AS WELL AS A
BOOST IN CONFIDENCE
AND MORALE.
TODAY ON 'YOU CAN
GROW IT', GARDEN
MASTER JIM DUTHIE TAKES
US BACK TO THE DAYS OF
VICTORY GARDENS, AND
HE SAYS IT'S AN IDEA
WHOSE TIME HAS COME.
AGAIN.
IF YOU'RE UNDER THE AGE
OF 75, THE TERM 'VICTORY
GARDEN' MAY NOT MEAN
ANYTHING
ANYTHING TO YOU. BUT FOR THOSE WHO LIVED THROUGH THE
UNCERTAINTY AND FEAR
OF WORLD WAR TWO,
VICTORY GARDENS WERE
A COMMON AND
IMPORTANT PART OF
THEIR LIVES.
DURING WORLD WAR
TWO, AMERICANS WERE
ENCOURAGED TO PLANT
HOME AND COMMUNITY
GARDENS IN ORDER TO
SUPPLEMENT THE
NATIONAL FOOD SUPPLY,
MUCH OF WHICH WAS
BEING DIVERTED TO FEED
OUR TROOPS, AS WELL AS
MANY
MANY OF
MANY OF OUR ALLIES. THE RESULT WAS LIMITED
SUPPLIES
SUPPLIES OF SOME FOOD AND OTHER PRODUCTS,
AS
AS WELL
AS WELL AS RATIONING. THESE HOME GARDENS SOON BECAME KNOWN
AS WAR GARDENS OR
VICTORY GARDENS. A
COMMON THEME WAS
'DIG FOR VICTORY', AND
THE COUNTRY WAS
FLOODED WITH
ENCOURAGING POSTERS,
PAMPHLETS, ARTICLES
AND SHORT FILMS.
NEIGHBORHOOD VICTORY
GARDEN COMMITTEES
SPRANG UP TO HELP
NON-GARDENERS LEARN
THE BASICS AND GET
STARTED ON THEIR
VICTORY GARDENS.
IT'S ESTIMATED THAT 20
MILLION VICTORY
GARDENS WERE GROWN
DURING THE WAR,
PRODUCING AS MUCH AS
TEN MILLION TONS OF
FOOD. THESE VICTORY
GARDENS KEPT MILLIONS
OF AMERICANS SUPPLIED
WITH NUTRITIOUS
HOME-GROWN FOOD.
NEARLY 40 PERCENT OF
THE FRESH PRODUCE IN
THE U.S. CAME FROM
THESE VICTORY GARDENS,
INCLUDING THE USUAL
GARDEN CROPS LIKE
POTATOES, TOMATOES,
LETTUCE, PEAS, BEANS,
SQUASH AND CARROTS.
BUT IT WASN'T JUST
ABOUT THE FOOD. IT WAS
A WAY TO FEEL
EMPOWERED DESPITE
FEELING POWERLESS, AND
HAVE A SENSE OF
PURPOSE, AND TO BOOST
MORALE AND
CONFIDENCE IN
STRESSFUL TIMES. FOLKS
WHO HAD NEVER GROWN
ANYTHING BEFORE
SUDDENLY DEVELOPED
GREEN THUMBS, AND
GARDENS BEGAN
SPROUTING UP IN FRONT
LAWNS, VACANT LOTS,
AND EVEN ON ROOFTOPS.
BUT ONCE THE WAR WAS
OVER, AND WE GOT BACK
TO LARGE-SCALE
COMMERCIAL FOOD
PRODUCTION, VICTORY
GARDENS STARTED TO
DISAPPEAR, AND
GARDENING BECAME JUST
ANOTHER HOBBY.
NOW HERE WE ARE IN
2020, IN THE MIDST OF A
DIFFERENT KIND OF WAR.
OUR CURRENT ENEMY,
COVID-19, DOESN'T HAVE
A FACE OR WEAR A
UNIFORM. BUT IT HAS
DISRUPTED OUR LIVES
AND OUR ECONOMY, AND
THREATENS NOT ONLY
OUR HEALTH, BUT OUR
CONFIDENCE AND
MORALE.
KEEPING THE STORE
SHELVES STOCKED WITH
SOME PRODUCTS HAS
OCCASIONALLY BEEN A
CHALLENGE, BUT WE
CERTAINLY AREN'T FACING
A SHORTAGE OF FOOD OR
SEVERE RATIONING. WE
HAVE PLENTY OF
EVERYTHING.
SO IF YOU'RE LOOKING
FOR A WAY TO FEEL MORE
EMPOWERED AND
CONFIDENT THESE DAYS,
DO SOMETHING THAT IS
WITHIN YOUR CONTROL
PLANT YOUR OWN
VICTORY GARDEN.
IF YOU HAVE SUFFICIENT
SPACE, LIKE SOME OF
THESE IDAHO GARDENERS,
YOU MIGHT PLANT A
LARGE GARDEN. BUT FOR
SMALLER SPACES, AND
ESPECIALLY FOR
BEGINNERS, YOU MIGHT
WANT TO START SMALL.
EVEN A FEW PLANTS IN A
CONTAINER OR TWO CAN
PRODUCE A SURPRISING
AMOUNT OF FOOD.
AND DON'T WORRY IF
YOU DON'T HAVE A GREEN
THUMB. ASK AROUND, OR
CALL A LOCAL GARDEN
CENTER. THERE'S ALWAYS
SOMEBODY WHO'S
WILLING TO GIVE YOU
HELPFUL ADVICE TO GET
STARTED.
THE IMPORTANT THING IS
THAT GROWING PLANTS,
WHETHER FOR FOOD, OR
JUST FOR THEIR BEAUTY, IS
A GREAT WAY TO BEAT
BOREDOM, FRUSTRATION,
AND STRESS, AS WELL AS
PULLING THE FAMILY
TOGETHER.
SO WHETHER YOU'RE AN
EXPERIENCED GARDENER
OR A BEGINNER,
GROWING YOUR OWN
VICTORY GARDEN WILL BE
SOMETHING YOU'LL
ALWAYS REMEMBER, AND
GENERATIONS FROM NOW
FOLKS WILL TALK ABOUT
THE VICTORY GARDENS OF
2020. SO PLANT A FEW
SEEDS, WATCH THEM
GROW, AND ENJOY THE
FRUITS OF YOUR LABORS.
BECAUSE YOU CAN GROW
IT. FOR IDAHO'S NEWS
CHANNEL 7, I'M JIM
DUTHIE.
DUTHIE.
THERE
THERE ARE
THERE ARE LOTS OF RESOURCES TO HELP YOU GET A GARDEN STARTED
ON YOUR GARDENING --
START WITH OUR 'YOU
CAN GROW IT' FACEBOOK
GROUP.
JUST TEXT THE WORD
'GROW' TO 208-321-5614
AND WE'LL SEND YOU A
LINK TO JOIN THE GROUP .