Urban gardening may be catching on now, but today's urban gardeners have nothing on their grandparents - urban farming was way more than a fad in the 1940s. During the World Wars, the U.S. government urged citizens to plant their own small vegetable gardens. It was a super positive spin on "We don't have enough war rations." I don't know what people would do today if the government asked them to grow cabbage in their front yards, but people back them were ready. Around 20 million families planted victory gardens. They grew 40 percent of the country's vegetables by 1944. Hopscotch was supplanted by a new and serious game for these Girl Scouts called Plant the Victory Garden. Victory Gardens - for family and country.

St. Martins is a close-knit community. Not too long ago a group of passionate community members got together as a group that they called the St. Martins Area Communiteers. Watch two of the group's prominent figures, Fern and Kathi, and a few community residents tell us about the impact one of the Communiteers' projects, called "Incredible Edible", had on the village. It’s brought people closer, connected generations and beautified the village, all while promoting healthy living. The magic of a community that's empowered to affect change for the better is that the project stemmed into multiple other initiatives, and brought a huge sense of pride to all those in the village. Wellness lives where we can communities - and generations - come together. Wellness Lives Here.

Sonia Kendrick isn't afraid to get her hands dirty and has become a great example to veterans suffering from PTSD. Sonia lives in a two-bedroom apartment in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa. And while she farms a total of 25 acres, it's sprinkled across the city in everything from quarter-acre patches to eight-acre parcels.With the help of American Legion FW Grigg Post 68 we hope to partner with local vets to heal food insecurity and promote their emotional and physical well-being. https://www.womansday.com/life/inspirational-stories/a22118919/veteran-feed-iowa-first/

Add curb appeal and improve the life and look of your neighborhood with a curbside garden. Garden fragments purify and freshen air, absorb and filter water, and foster biodiversity with its associated services and benefits, not to mention lowering crime and raising property values. We're looking for some street captains to get a curbside planting IE project called "Herb Your Curb" off the ground. Right now we are researching municipal code to identify restrictions, but feel confident that we can overcome any hurdles! If you think your street is a good option - a side street with a majority of willing participants - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Brigid, know. If anyone would like to co-chair this project please let me know. We would be planting indigenous herbs along the strips between the street and the sidewalk.

Chris Waldron, director of Sustainability and Shared Services, Camden County, was the main speaker. He explained his duties and services that he could provide out of his Lakeland, NJ facility. Following the discussion, we all, under Chris’s leadership, were able to begin making plans to start our project. We will get in contact with a Master Gardener located at Rutgers; outreach to Dina Turan to determine Merchantville Elementary School's interest as a stakeholder in the education component; research registration required for grants available for the project - with assist from Chris; attend Tri-County Sustainability Alliance - meets and often works with county partners on projects; Dorothy Foley volunteered to take our minutes to the Green Team meeting after our meeting; and planting survey/plans - first planting place should be very visible so people become acquainted with the project and then become involved as our work begins to take shape. An invitation to visit Chris’s facility any time (Saturdays 10 am—noon) was extended to the group.

Last fall, a half-dozen teenagers from the Southern New Jersey city of Camden brought hot peppers they’d grown in an urban garden to a rented industrial kitchen. Donning latex gloves, they de-seeded and chopped the chilies before adding them to vinegar and salt. A few days later, they processed and bottled the resulting product into their own brand of hot sauce, Kapow! The group is part of a teen-focused entrepreneurial program called Eco Interns, offered by the Camden-area Center for Environmental Transformation(CFET). The mission of this nonprofit is to create a sustainable, healthy source of fresh fruit and vegetables through community gardens and a farmers’ market for an underserved urban community, while offering job training and education with a focus on meeting environmental challenges.