I grew up watching my old world grandparents gardening.  They taught me everything I know about coaxing a meal out of a patch of earth. I've always longed for a few acres to garden on, but I live in a land of swimming pools, golf courses, and strip malls. As I began to realize my time in suburbia isn't even close to being over, I asked my husband to build some garden boxes for me. "Why wait until we retire and move out to the country?" was my thinking. For my 40th birthday in March of 2008, my husband built four 6' by 8' garden boxes to go along with my container gardens and various plots around the yard.  Since then, I have had the most wonderful time growing all kinds of things, from arugula to zucchini.  For my 41st birthday, I asked for a compost bin, and a kitchen compost bucket to go with it. It's not that I don't like fancier things... it's just that I have become addicted to the taste of fresh asparagus from my own backyard.

I was also inspired by a book my parents gave me for Christmas called " The Kids Garden Book", published in 1974.  I still have my copy.  As an elementary school teacher, I feel it is of utmost importance to teach our children where our food comes from, and how we can be part of that process.  The photo I've attached comes from an event I held in which students from my school got to pull carrots from my garden. I think every child should have the experience of gardening and harvesting the rewards of their hard work.  I am always inviting my friends and coworkers to stop by and see what I've got going on... I don't care if I seem like a crazy plant lady.  It's amazing to have fresh, organic produce in my own backyard.

I would love to talk more and share more about my garden journey... just ask me. One of the best things about having a Victory Garden is that no matter how crazy the economy gets, I know that in the end, I have the know-how to feed my family.  Seeds are still free.