The Modern Victory Garden

A year ago today I launched The Modern Victory Garden website and blog.    The first blog entry was quite brief and (true to this site) was focused on the food production garden - skipping introductions of myself altogether!           

The creation of this site was a natural "next step" evolution to consolidate a variety of online journals and photos albums I had been keeping and added to them various other non-public planning tools that I had been maintaining (garden calendars, inventory records, and seed starting schedules for example).   While I certainly wanted this to be a public place to share information and connect with people with similar interests, the primary purpose was really just to create a more integrated online garden journal for my own use.   However, the amazing thing about children and websites is that while you may envision a certain future for them, more often then not they will find their own way and evolve into something totally different (and often better) than you ever could have imagined.   So it has been with this site.      

Through blog entries, comment responses, daily calendar entries, photos and forum discussion topics - I share with all of you the simpler and more mundane aspects of my daily life. Underlying it all though, is my deep appreciation and strong belief that there is real value in maintaining a closer connection to our natural world we abide in, and in maintaining some reasonable control over that critical and life giving commodity - food.  From my perspective the benefits of making a food production garden part of daily life is that it is:

• Frugal - saves considerable money if done sensibly without "buying" your way out of all problems
• Healthful - a diet that is composed of higher proportions of fresh vegetables and fruits is proven to be life extending
• Better for the Planet - the average produce item travels 1,500 miles to get to the table - consuming petroleum in it's travels, refrigeration, and in the pesticides and fertilizers used
• Good for the Soul - a garden is a good place to reconnect with what is important in life and to literally stay "grounded"

Now more than ever, I think these virtues are needed in our modern and overly complex lives and many of you seem to agree judging by the sheer amount of site traffic, membership, and daily interaction here.   It truly never ceases to amaze me and I am blessed by all of your participation and enthusiasm for the subject.             

Thank you for helping to shape The Modern Victory Garden site and blog into what it has become and for your willingness to hang out here once in a while.   I look forward to yet another year of sharing projects, triumphs, and garden disappointments with all of you.       Thanks!