VICTORY GARDENS

2008
Shilpa writes to say: " I am planning to grow vegetables and fruit in the front yard, and use the shady areas in the back for a patio. and, even though most of the yard will be revamped, there are a few areas we're leaving alone. i could not resist planting some Swiss chard and snap peas amongst the herbs and flowers in that area".

And in a conversation with Shirley about gardening when she was a child: "gardening in my childhood...YUCK!!! Of course, I had to help, never enjoyed it though. I did then as I do now, gather things from the garden to cook, freeze or can. Of course, I always took the freshly canned stuff to the basement to put away for Mom. Springtime was always a challenge, going to the basement to retrieve canned goods. We always had water in the basement. a plank went from the steps to the potato bin. The "cold room" was where the shelves for canned goods was, I had to wear boots cause I had to step off the plank. There were rows and rows of good stuff on those shelves. There was also a tub on blocks filled with sand that we buried carrots in. Surprising how well the cold sand kept the carrots".

During WWII
LARGE NUMBER OF VICTORY GARDENS PLANNED IN CITY. More than 100 expected to join community garden project.

The recent poll conducted by the Victory Aides under the supervision of Mrs. Karwand indicates 93% of the families of Thief River Falls will have a Victory garden in 1943. The families polled have indicated that they desire help in finding additional space for a garden. This city wide survey was completed by the Victory Aides within 48 hours and indicates the efficiency of the local organization.

Up to the present time a total of 85 have registered for space in the Victory gardens. The victory garden committee anticipates a total enrollment of well over 109 gardeners.

Chairman WR Ferber announces that those who have failed to register up to the present time may do so at the office of civilian defense in the city auditorium or with the treasurer of the local project. Martin Bothum, who had charge of the land rental, announces that it will be prepared for staking by the city engineer within a few days, weather permitting.

Now, if you register for a Victory Garden of 1,500 or more square feet that can not be reached except by automobile will qualify for extra rations of gasoline this summer. OPA will provide up to 300 miles for six months if gardeners can show need for the extra mileage.

Old Trunks admires those gardeners. Fifteen hundred square feet is bigger than our house was in Lawrence! Both sets of grandparents were gardeners. Grandma Mae had one of those Victory sized gardens full of vegetables and another with gladiola's. There were never weeds, I thought it just came that way. She taught me how to pull carrots and allowed me to sit between the rows and eat them.

Benhard and Julia always had a garden. At their house on Knight Avenue, the garden was the entire length of the lot behind the house. The garden was fenced and on the east side, (nearest the house) Hollyhocks were planted densely along the fence. I made a lot of dolls using a half a tooth pick, a bloom and a bud of a hollyhock! The garden was watered by carrying pails of rainwater from the barrel outside the back door.

Neither sets of grandparents had power equipment, it was all done by hand. There were never weeds, perhaps they worked on their project early in the morning. Every time they moved, a new garden would be planted.

It appears that the true Victory Gardens of the war years had to do with getting a space to plant the seeds. I just wonder where in Thief River Falls these plots where and if there was actually water close by.

Last night, Sweet Thomas went to the building where he works to clean the flower beds. Three flower gardens are in front of the building. The gardens had not been cleaned this spring. The man who owns the building OR the person in charge of the building had not hired someone to do the task OR assigned it to a maintenance type person. Now, it is NOT Tom's responsibility but it needed to be done. I am certain I have an agreement with you on that.

He pulled, raked, and bagged dead brush, dead birds, and even used condoms. It was a blitz. He was away from the house 45 minutes. Clarification: The falcons snatch the flying birds out of the air and light on the roof where they kill it and pull it apart. The parts in the garden blew off the roof. As for the condoms, sorry I have no idea how they got there!

If you resolve issues in your sleep, then you understand I was looking for a way to talk to him about it. IF he enjoyed gardening, then why not take it on as a hobby? I have learned he does not like to garden. The next thing to do is to talk to someone who is responsible about the plots.

Tell me, does damage control make happy little posies?

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