5 REASONS YOU NEED A VICTORY GARDEN

It seems everywhere we turn COVID-19 is crowding in on our lives. The stress of a falling economy, heighten awareness of germs and frantic handwashing, and wondering if we will return to our normal lives is depressing if that’s all we dwell on.

I was talking (on the phone) and recalling things about my Grandmother McNair that I used to think were odd but now is very forward thinking. Grandma McNair was born on Nov 13, 1913 and lived to be 97 years old, with 96 of those years active and at home. She was a young child during WWI and a wife and mother during WWII when Victory Gardens were a practical necessity and patriotic. A popular slogan was “Uncle Sam says- GARDEN To Cut Food Costs.”  

I loved to be at her house, especially when the pears were ripe. My cousin and I would climb up the pear tree and sit on her flat roofed shed (I only fell off once) and we would gorge on pears that were warmed by the sun that we plucked off the tree. I’ve never had better pears-EVER! Grandma would sew us nightgowns repurposed from old shirts, saved tinfoil to reuse, and always recycled meat from the church events (and funerals-yes that is another story) that she volunteered at. She collected compost in her kitchen, canned everything she grew, didn’t spend more than she made, and always had a Victory Garden. Now she sounds impressive, but when I was a teen in the 80s I thought she was a little odd, way too frugal, and defiantly couldn’t be happy living like that. As I’ve matured, and gotten wiser (at least with some things) I realize that she was smarter than I realized and that her Victory Garden was actually improving her life.

Starting a Victory Garden can be as small or as large as you want, but there are documented reasons that tending your garden will enrich your life. Here’s my top 5 reasons for rolling up your sleeves, and putting seeds in the soil so you can have a Victory Garden, too.

1. HOMEGROWN FOOD JUST TASTES BETTER. If you’ve never gotten bounty from someone’s garden you are missing out on a slice of heaven on earth! In high school, my mom would get fresh black eyed peas from a gardener/farmer, and even in my teen-age angst, I would gladly shell a grocery bag full of peas because nothing from the grocery store tastes as wonderful as fresh shelled peas. I don’t have science to back this up but my kids love when we stop at local farms and “pick-your-own,” I promise, you will be sad to even think about eating a tomato in December from the grocery store after having a ripe, juicy, plucked from the vine, seasoned with sunshine tomato, from your garden.

2. YOU KNOW WHAT CHEMICALS ARE ON YOUR PLANTS. Unfortunately, our foods (even organic) do not have as much nutritional value as they did in the years past. Being able to know what is on and in your foods is becoming more important.

3. GREENSPACE MAKES YOU HAPPIER. In the summer of 2019 I participated in a graduate Urban Planning study abroad class in Seoul, South Korea. My class project was on Greenspace and its benefits. (I’ve added my class project under MISC if you’re interested in seeing it). I’ve had the privilege of living in Germany and Okinawa, Japan, and visiting South Korea and these cultures will grow things in any space available (Think doorsteps, rooftops and even graveyards!). According to this article in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology (see below) plants can make you happier. Sunshine + seeds + soil = happiness!!

4. GROWING THINGS HELPS WITH DEPRESSION. By education I’m a research nurse. I read a lot of studies and one study that I found interesting was that gardening helps with depression (see below) So, with Mother’s Day around the corner maybe someone you know in a nursing facility could be gifted an easy to grow container plant like mint.

5. HAVING A HOBBY DECREASES STRESS. It doesn’t matter if you have loads of land or just a tiny spot in your apartment. A Victory Garden Hobby can thrive and give you benefits that go beyond what you harvest. Gardening is a year round hobby-although you won’t be doing the same things year round. See the Huffington Post Article on how gardening reduces stress.

As we look for a new normal in the next few weeks, and maybe even months, I encourage you to begin looking for an area that you can grow some of your favorite fruits or vegetables. Grow some food, share what you can’t eat, and have a Victory Garden because you deserve to thrive not just survive.

I would love to see your Victory Garden and see the creative ways you are putting some green in your space!

Happy planting!

I’d love to connect with you!

Research Articles:

1. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4419447/ In recent years, the comforting effect of a natural environment has been verified, and further evidence-based studies are underway. Various experimental approaches have been attempted in regard to physiological measures, which can verify the beneficial effects of natural stimuli quantitatively. A contact with plants is an intuitive and nonverbal activity that can provide psychological stability and comfort by stimulating four senses in various ways. Indoor plants have drawn the attention of the scientific community because of their various benefits: they enhance job satisfaction in office workers [11], reduce psychological stress [12], improve mood states [13–16], and enhance cognitive health [17–19]. These effects can positively affect)resistance to diseases and chronic stress)

2. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335516301401 There is increasing evidence that gardening provides substantial human health benefits. However, no formal statistical assessment has been conducted to test this assertion. Here, we present the results of a meta-analysis of research examining the effects of gardening, including horticultural therapy, on health. We performed a literature search to collect studies that compared health outcomes in control (before participating in gardening or non-gardeners) and treatment groups (after participating in gardening or gardeners) in January 2016. The mean difference in health outcomes between the two groups was calculated for each study, and then the weighted effect size determined both across all and sets of subgroup studies. Twenty-two case studies (published after 2001) were included in the meta-analysis, which comprised 76 comparisons between control and treatment groups. Most studies came from the United States, followed by Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Studies reported a wide range of health outcomes, such as reductions in depression, anxiety, and body mass index, as well as increases in life satisfaction, quality of life, and sense of community. Meta-analytic estimates showed a significant positive effect of gardening on the health outcomes both for all and sets of subgroup studies, whilst effect sizes differed among eight subgroups. Although Egger’s test indicated the presence of publication bias, significant positive effects of gardening remained after adjusting for this using trim and fill analysis. This study has provided robust evidence for the positive effects of gardening on health. A regular dose of gardening can improve public health.)

3. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/healthy-hobbies-that-will-improve-your-life_b_589a17c8e4b0985224db5ab6  (Gardening. There are many unexpected health benefits of gardening. Getting your hands dirty has been shown to decrease stress and promote self-esteem. It’s also a great way to get in some physical activity while it improves your hand strength and dexterity. Another perk of gardening? Beautiful flowers to decorate your home and delicious vegetables to add to your dinner!)