Victorious Gardening
Written by: Sumati Shah
The Victory Garden: a practical solution for shortcomings in difficult times: when regular provisions might become difficult to access and self sufficiency amongst communities and individuals becomes a more valuable resource than times of greater abundance.
The act of gardening itself – tending to the growth of plants day by day – was considered as a ‘morale booster’ rewarding a gardeners’ labours and attentiveness by the produce harvested. The benefits beyond that food harvest are secondary and wonderfully unavoidable: improved physical and mental health come as a byproduct to the end of season food harvest.
This bounty seems all the more relevant today, and I’m happy to find so many more are interested in exploring the possibilities.
I’ve happily enjoyed food from my garden year throughout much of the year for at least 10 years now and I’m more grateful than ever for the remaining tomatoes, zucchini and assorted other veggies in my freezer. It isn’t everything, but it certainly helps.
The nourishment we reap from gardening goes well beyond the literal fruits and vegetables of a harvest; this natural bounty seems more relevant in our current lives than your average trip to the grocery store ever could be.
Rule of Green Thumbs: Victorious Gardeners: harvest food, flowers, and fulfillment.
Therapeutic Gardening – sounds complicated. It’s anything but.
Whether you want more physical activity and look forward to counting reps while doing some heavy lifting, or time to move slowly and simply take in the sensory experience. Maybe you seek the visual of your favourite flowers, or the scent of lilacs – it’s all there for you to discover. As seasons progress we adapt….there are so many experiences and useful lessons … found in the Victory Garden.
Active or passive time spent in the garden improves physical and mental health – even in tiny doses. Social time with others (thinking of families with young kids in particular here) can be quietly comforting: spending time in nature and the elements subtly allows us to to key in to a feeling of shared achievement and purpose. Sharing the experience with others deepens our connections to each other as well as the needs of the garden. As with everything – a little bit of advance planning is the key to the bumper harvest.
Discover new ways to harvest fulfillment: a garden is the perfect companion for the exploration.
Go Go Green Thumbs!
