This election is too big to ignore. I really want to DO
something to help this country. Yes, I’ve emailed the Travis County Democratic
Party, I’m meeting with a few neighbors to organize voters in our precinct for
future elections, I’ll do what I can politically. I know it won’t be enough. And
unfortunately, I know it’s too little too late now.
I also need to do something to make myself feel better, and
for me that always comes back to plants. I’ve loved plants since before I can
remember. My first “big word” was photosynthesis, and by the time I was 6 years
old I could identify every species of tree on our 140 acre property in
Illinois. But what on Earth can plants do to help us now?
During WWI and WWII people all over the world planted “Victory
Gardens” to reduce pressure on the public food supply and as a civic morale
booster, in that gardeners felt empowered by their effort and rewarded by the
produce grown. I hope everyone will set aside a little (or a lot) space in their
yard or on their balcony for a Victory Garden. I hope these gardens will give
all of us a tiny glimmer of hope for the future.
They weren't called Victory Gardens because we had won, we hadn't yet, they were called Victory Gardens for the Hope of and Belief in winning. The same is true today.
Victory Gardens in the traditional sense are vegetable,
fruit and herb gardens planted at private home or in public areas like schools
and libraries. I’d like to include native plants and flowers in a new
definition of a Victory Garden, because habitat for native plants and the
animals that need them is dwindling quickly and with the new political regime,
that will almost certainly become an even bigger problem.
Home gardens obviously produce food. I hope we’re never in a
situation where food is in short supply, unsafe to eat, or prohibitively
expensive. But it’s certainly a possibility, and having a home garden can help
us make sure we all have enough to eat. That sounds silly based on how abundant
food is today (and I hope that always sounds silly), but there are other ways
Victory Gardens have an impact. By producing even just a little of our own food,
we’re cutting down on waste like food packaging and food transportation. We can
also choose how our food is grown and what goes into it. We can choose to
garden organically and cut down on herbicides and pesticides washing into our local
streams and rivers. Our own small gardens may soon be our only hope to keep
some species like monarch butterflies from going extinct. So maybe plants
really can make a difference! If enough of us plant a Victory Garden, we can
actually have a very big impact!
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| Queen butterfly on Texas native Gregg's mistflower |
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| Monarch butterfly on basil |
But it’s November, it’s not exactly gardening season! We’re
lucky enough to live in Austin, so there are actually a few vegetables we can
plant right now. This is the perfect time to plant lettuces, spinach, garlic
and radishes. Kale, chard, beets and carrots will also likely do well if
planted now, especially since we’ve had a warm fall so far. Many herbs prefer
the cooler weather, so now is a great time to plant cilantro, dill, fennel and parsley.
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| Winter harvested lettuce |
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| Winter harvested beet and carrots |
I plan to go over to Shoal Creek Nursery on Saturday and buy
seeds (they have a nice selection of non-GMO and organic seeds at Shoal Creek
Nursery, the same cannot be said for most of the big box stores). If you’re in
South Austin, the Natural Gardener also has a good selection of organic and
non-GMO seeds.
Seed Savers Exchange is my favorite seed company.
Fall is also the time to plant bluebonnet and many other
native flower seeds. November is a bit on the late side, but we’ve had pretty
warm weather so far and most of these seeds will do well if you get them in the
ground soon, even better if you’re able to protect them from frosts this
winter.
This is also the best time to clear ground for planting in
the early spring. Start digging out the weeds or fertilizer & water hogging
grass, get some compost worked into the soil, so when March comes, you’re ready
to plant.
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| Lyre-leaf sage is a great Texas native wildflower to plant from seed now |
If you’re ready to plant a Victory Garden, let me know! I
have many native wildflower seeds that I’m willing to share and I have a few
varieties of vegetable seeds as well. I’m also happy to answer questions and
give advice to help you have a successful Victory Garden. I really hope this
will do more than just make me feel better. If enough of us plant a Victory
Garden, we can actually have a very big impact on our food supply and on our
environment.
If nothing else, shoveling some dirt can help us take out
our frustrations in a peaceful manner.
