So, Let’s talk about Why?
There are so many reasons why you should register for the 350 Victory Garden challenge. Your act of registering to take the 350 Victory Garden Challenge is one of power! You are showing your commitment to eating healthy food, conserving water, saving energy, and building community. When you register your power along with others; a message of strength and commitment to sustainability is sent around the world. Even if you do not have a garden, have never grown your own food; your action of registering can put you in touch with others who are growing food at home. Helping someone else in their garden is an act of kindness.
Standing up to be count is an act of inspiration. Perhaps our initial message has been lost along the way. Remember, “Let’s Connect? Let’s Stay Connected?” Being connected we can collectively stand up and be counted for fighting childhood and adult obesity; for rejecting pesticide-laden and genetically modified foods; for working together to improve our healthy eating circumstances; for helping others in need of healthy food; and building communities: near and far. This is the collective Why!
Each of us will have our own personal reasons why like:
Susan in Florida who is committed to growing food in her garden space to share with those in need in her community and at the hospitals. All she needs are volunteers to take the homegrown produce to schools and hospitals.
And, there’s Stella Jane in Portland. She has so many ideas about how to reach out to women to grow food to embrace the love of our earth.
And, there is the Victory Garden Peterson Project in Chicago. Starting with just a few neighbors growing small plots of food, this garden has become such a popular space for growth that the project is highlighted at the Smithsonian.
What about Mom’s Garden in Kansas who simply says I grow my food for my family because then I know they are eating healthy.
Dawn on the Farm in Tennessee grows food for family and the local farmers market.
And Gary in Berkeley who only uses reclaimed materials to build his garden fixtures and has never used herbicides or pesticides in his garden.
The Oregonia TC Farm in Berkeley has unused land for growing food although a large portion of the space is used for fruit, vegetables, and herbs.
There’s the First Timers Paradise Garden in Missouri – a new gardener who has been growing in pots and is now ready to expand the love.
The Sarah & Corey's Garden grows food for their family and to donate to the local food bank.
Teaching her daughters to garden is the reason why MawMaw’s Garden is growing food in Indiana.
The Garden of Hope in Texas is growing food for anyone that needs it.
Garden Eats in Oakland has an abundance of fruit, vegetables, and herbs for neighbors.
These are just a few reasons why we are challenging everyone to grow their food at and near home. There are hundreds more reasons why. While 190 people have taken the challenge to place their gardens on the map; over 400 more people are fans on Facebook and following on Twitter showing they are taking the challenge – take the challenge by registering garden projects to be placed on the map to Connect and Stay Connected with a network of like-minded people around the globe who are not only concerned about the food we eat; but who are doing something about it!
Why Grow Food at Home
More Nutritious
The food that you grow at or near home is garden to table providing you with more nutrition that you might get from produce grown in a commercial setting thousands of miles away. Did you know that it can take up to 15 days from harvest to your grocery store?
Less Expensive
When you calculate that a package of vegetable seeds cost about $2.00 and can yield 10 – 50 plants producing pounds of food; that’s about 20 cents to 4 cents a plant. You spend about $2.00 for a bunch of vegetables. You can continue to do the math. Save money.
Share
When you grow your food at home; you may can, freeze, and otherwise store your abundance. But sharing your abundance with others is one of the greatest acts of kindness.
Build Community
Growing your food at home is also a way to build your community. Let your neighbors know what you are doing and you could find that you are sharing the work load and the harvest. You may plan with your neighbors what each will grow and what you’ll do with your abundance. This is just one way to build your community – one neighbor at a time.
Organize a small or large group of neighbors to grow some of the food to give to a local food bank, school or church, to elderly and disabled, to families in need.
Let's stay connected. There will be more to do after this weekend.
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