{"id":722,"date":"2020-06-18T12:51:33","date_gmt":"2020-06-18T16:51:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/sycamore-stacks\/?p=722"},"modified":"2020-06-18T12:51:33","modified_gmt":"2020-06-18T16:51:33","slug":"celebrating-our-gardens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/sycamore-stacks\/2020\/06\/18\/celebrating-our-gardens\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating Our Gardens"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A toad admires the greenery near the front steps of Sycamore Hall<\/em><\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n

As the weather warms up and the days become longer, many of us look forward to spending time outdoors in our gardens. Gardening provides opportunities to enjoy nature, sunshine, and exercise as we dig in the dirt. And there\u2019s something so satisfying about caring for plants and watching them grow to reward us with beautiful flowers or fresh produce.<\/p>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n

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\u00a0\u00a0A helpful pamphlet for city dwellers, 1938<\/em><\/p><\/div>\r\n

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Farmers have always grown vegetable gardens; but in the early 20th century, with the advents of two World Wars and the Great Depression, urban and suburban gardens surged in popularity. In 1942, the United States government launched a Victory Garden Program<\/a>\u00a0that sparked Americans to plant millions of gardens to support the war effort. By 1944, Victory Gardens were producing 40 percent of the vegetables<\/a> in the United States.<\/p>\r\n\"Grow<\/a>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n

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Victory Gardens weren\u2019t solely about food security, however. Among the stated goals<\/a> of the Program were the provision of healthful exercise and stress relief through gardening. Throughout the war and Depression years, American gardeners also enjoyed the benefits of community building, as many of the gardens were planted on public lands and overseen by local organizations.<\/p>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\n\t\t