With the advent of the Corona Pandemic and the potential disruption of the food supply chain, folks are now beginning to revisit the idea of “growing your own” vegetables. The idea is not new it has been present throughout most of the history of mankind. The pity of it is that it usually takes an epidemic, pandemic or war to help people realize the importance of some level of self sufficiency.
Through our Bracco Farms, Farm and Garden Talks we help educate the public to the usefulness and enjoyment of having a backyard vegetable garden.
Before acquiring my farm I was an avid gardener for many years. What we learned on our farm is that many of the small tools and supplies we use to make farming easier, can be readily adapted to backyard garden use. Most of these tools are not readily available at garden centers or home improvement stores. However, they are available at farm supply houses and are no more expensive than the basic garden tools you would find at you local hardware store. You just need to know where to look. You can find sources on our website: http://www.braccoart.com.
Many of us have stories and fond memories of helping grandma and grandpa in their gardens. Unfortunately, gardening today has pretty much fallen out of vogue. Many are content to visit their supermarkets and purchase the produce, fruit and prepared meals they need to get through the week.
Gardening is no longer and hasn’t been for a long time, thought of as a cool or even a useful endeavor. (There are 53 million acres of wheat and 52 million acres of lawn in the U.S.) However, once something goes wrong, how quickly things change. The Corona pandemic is a perfect example. With possible food shortages on the horizon people are scrambling to buy seeds and seedlings in the hopes of figuring out how grow some food for themselves. The phrase “Victory Garden” is being used quite liberally on line.
Maybe if enough the population were even slightly encouraged by nutritionists, educators, doctors and the powers that be, to stay away from processed and fast foods then just maybe our immune systems wouldn’t be so compromised. Perhaps show them the nutritional difference between KitKats and Kale, etc!
So, all this being said, I fully and always have supported the idea of the backyard garden. Through my Farm and Garden Talks at Libraries, Garden Clubs and Lunch and Learns we try to impart as much knowledge and help as we able on the subject.
So, don’t wait for a pandemic to occur, get out there and grow that garden. Your body, your soul, your immune system and your family will thank you.