Richard Sidy is president of the Gardens for Humanity, a founding member of the Sustainability Alliance and a member of the Verde Valley Food Policy Council. To reach him, email richardvsidy@mac.com.
During World War II there were nearly 20,000,000 Victory Gardens across the U.S. producing about 40 percent of all the vegetables consumed during the war years. Of all the home front contributions to the war effort, these gardens were a staple of what average Americans could do at home to provide a dependable and fresh food supply. Many farm workers had enlisted, and farms had to get by without their normal workforce.
Recently I visited the garden at Verde Valley School, and was walking through it with a young man who is very concerned about the environment and the risks to our climate and planet. He asked if it would be better if people just left Nature alone since it had survived for so many years on its own.
Recently I visited the garden at Verde Valley School, and was walking through it with a young man who is very concerned about the environment and the risks to our climate and planet.
After nursing young plants through the hot dry months of May and June, the onset of the monsoon season is a great relief for gardener and garden alike. Monsoon rains bring a burst of growth to plants that were always on the edge of dehydration unless we watered, watered, watered.
May and June are the hottest and driest months before we welcome the first rumbles of thunder and fragrance of monsoon season at the beginning of July. It is so painful to watch plants struggling and dehydrating under relentless, rainless skies.
Last month I was invited to teach students from Sedona Charter School about sustainability at the Sedona Heritage Museum.
Last month I was invited to teach students from Sedona Charter School about sustainability at the Sedona Heritage Museum.
An image that has stuck with me since I was very young is that of a pebble tossed into a pond. I learned that day that even a small pebble could send out circles of waves that will eventually reach a far shore.
Our garden is another chapter in the story of our life at home. When I see birds building nests in our garden, pollinators feeding at our flowers, lizards raising their young, or a toad hibernating beneath damp soil, they become part of our family. They affirm that our garden is a welcoming habitat and a safe home.
Our garden is another chapter in the story of our life at home. When I see birds building nests in our garden, pollinators feeding at our flowers, lizards raising their young, or a toad hibernating beneath damp soil, they become part of our family. They affirm that our garden is a welcoming habitat and a safe home.
