Stop Telling Me to Plant a Pandemic Victory Garden
Back off, horticulture bullies. I have a better idea.
Planting a garden this year seems like one of those things we can all get behind. Whatever our political views, we can all find good reasons to grow our own food. Those of us who are survivalists can stockpile potatoes and onions to prepare to hunker down. The foodies among us can plant artisanal lettuces and organic baby bok choy. Everyone can feel like they’re doing the right thing.
The media is encouraging us to plant these gardens, too. NPR, People, and CBS News all ran stories on pandemic victory gardens in the last month, and the Sierra Club published a tutorial on getting your garden off the ground.
I’m not buying it. And I like to garden. My friend and I shared a plot in a community garden every growing season for five years. We had a corner where perennials sage and chives would sprout, and we started rows of seeds and seedlings in the rest of the space. As soon as the ground was warm enough to work, we planted peas, lettuce, and radishes. In the heat of the summer, we would tend our tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini. And as the days grew short in late fall we would bring home the last of the pumpkins and squash.
