Gardens: growing for greens
It appears, if one reads history, that home gardening gains popularity during war and/or economic hard times. Think “Victory Gardens” during both World Wars and the self-sufficiency movement during the Vietnam conflict. Consider President Gerald Ford’s “Whip Inflation Now (WIN) campaign of the late 1970s and the current push to grow food during our current recession. Granted, today’s enticement for home gardening involves more than saving money. There is rampant obesity from eating high-fat, high-calorie fast foods, the controversial “greenhouse” effect from over production and materialism and, for some, a longing for a calmer existence; all of the which makes those of us residing in rural areas, where gardening is simply a fact of life, appreciate our traditions. In my small Colorado town, gardening is common in many yards each summer despite our short growing season, which runs from near the end of May until late October. Moving to the High Plains with its ...