Abundance Gardens
by Virginia Fujii
wisdomseeker@comcast.net
2010 January 20
The concept of Abundance Gardens takes its seed, if you will, from the Victory Gardens of the past when people had the need to grow their own vegetables to provide for their families, share with neighbors and friends and divert other resources where they were most needed.
Today’s Abundance Gardeners have the advantage of being able to share information and ideas on a wider scale than ever before. Information on gray water, vertical gardens, greenhouses and heirloom seeds are easily accessible online.
In this daunting time of global economic and political transition, it seems only prudent to prepare for the potential of food transportation
slow-downs and escalation of food prices in much the same way we make personal preparations for earthquakes and floods. Abundance Gardens are not meant to compete with Farmers Markets or grocery stores, but to supplement them as food availability, higher pricing and the increasing use of GMOs become concerns for each of us.
'That is only part of the story. We have an opportunity to re-learn
the skills that our grandparents taught us as children, to value the
experience of tilling the soil, of planting seeds and nurturing a garden to full and joyous harvest. It seems a simple thing, but it is so important. It teaches us to value the purity of water, the richness of the soil and the connection we have to the natural abundance of our
own land. It is an opportunity to share what we learn with our families, become self-reliant and share our harvests with our friends.
The creation of home Abundance Gardens is completely, if you'll pardon the pun, a grass roots opportunity for individual home owners and apartment renters, churches, Scout troops and schools to network with people and companies with experience in organic home gardening, greenhouses, gray water usage, vertical gardening, heirloom seeds, water purification and related issues. The process, indeed, has
already begun. While safety concerns, brown moth restrictions and
permit requirement are sure to be a part of this discussion, it would
be helpful to get input from relevant local City and County departments and examine their role in promoting and supporting the
efforts of the new Abundance Gardeners.
Talk with your families, your neighbors and friends. Go online. Learn
about heirloom seeds, organic gardening and see what you are capable
of achieving in your own yard. Start Abundance Gardening Clubs at your church or at your school. This is an opportunity to be self-sufficient and self-reliant if food becomes a casualty of global economics. This is an opportunity to know that you can provide for your family and aid your community if the need should arise. This is the time to be prepared for, not afraid of, the future. It is the responsibility of each of us to do so.
Virginia Fujii