Houston's Victory Garden

[editor]

Mayor Annise Parker Launches City Hall Victory Garden

Vegetable Garden To Promote Nutrition, Health, Sustainability and Self-Reliance

Mayor Annise Parker today launched the City Hall Victory Garden at Tranquillity Park. This is the second phase of the Mayor’s local food initiative that will encourage vegetable and rain gardens to be built throughout Houston.

“The City Hall Victory Garden is another opportunity to bring citizens into the city-wide sustainability strategy – to make Houston a greener and healthier place to live and work,” said Mayor Annise Parker. “The City of Houston is leading by example, demonstrating how easy and affordable it can be to build a container garden.”

The Victory Garden will offer Houstonians ideas, resources and information they need to make healthier choices about food consumption and production. In addition, the garden will enhance the quality of urban downtown, not only for residents who are increasingly moving to downtown, but also the staff who work downtown every day.

“In addition to the health, environmental and economic benefits, the vegetable gardens also create a community,” said Mayor Parker. “The Victory Garden will enhance staff work experiences, making Houston a better place to live and work.”

This is an important expansion of Mayor Parker’s local food initiative. The City's first vegetable container garden was built in June 2010 at the Bob Lanier Public Works Building, highlighting local produce and educating Houstonians about the ease of maintaining a vegetable garden in any type of environment.

The Mayor was joined by Fast Food Nation author and film producer Eric Schlosser, who was on hand to celebrate Houston’s promotion of local food. The Mayor’s office was also joined by many organizations and volunteers to build and plant the Victory Garden. Those included the City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department, Public Works and Engineering, Urban Harvest, Keep Houston Beautiful, Asakura Robinson, Fischer Schalles Associates, Texas AgriLife, University of Houston Downtown Environmental Club, HEB, Nature’s Way Resources, San Jacinto Environmental, Thompson and Hanson, and Scotts.

[LegacyTree]

http://www.facebook.com/urbanharvest?ref=ts

[dbigtex56]

My parents kept a sizable vegetable garden; corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, lettuce, peppers, Swiss chard, rhubarb, beets, parsnips ...

At the time, I didn't enjoy working in it. Seems plants thrive only if someone (i.e., me and my siblings) maintains them. I would have preferred to be a juvenile delinquent, but my parents felt otherwise. I know the literal meaning of "a hard row to hoe."

And it's true. There's no substitute for food fresh from the garden. Every time I buy a tomato at Kroger, I die a little.

[Subdude]

Mayor Annise Parker Launches City Hall Victory Garden

Vegetable Garden To Promote Nutrition, Health, Sustainability and Self-Reliance

Mayor Annise Parker today launched the City Hall Victory Garden at Tranquillity Park. This is the second phase of the Mayor’s local food initiative that will encourage vegetable and rain gardens to be built throughout Houston.

“The City Hall Victory Garden is another opportunity to bring citizens into the city-wide sustainability strategy – to make Houston a greener and healthier place to live and work,” said Mayor Annise Parker. “The City of Houston is leading by example, demonstrating how easy and affordable it can be to build a container garden.”

The Victory Garden will offer Houstonians ideas, resources and information they need to make healthier choices about food consumption and production. In addition, the garden will enhance the quality of urban downtown, not only for residents who are increasingly moving to downtown, but also the staff who work downtown every day.

“In addition to the health, environmental and economic benefits, the vegetable gardens also create a community,” said Mayor Parker. “The Victory Garden will enhance staff work experiences, making Houston a better place to live and work.”

This is an important expansion of Mayor Parker’s local food initiative. The City's first vegetable container garden was built in June 2010 at the Bob Lanier Public Works Building, highlighting local produce and educating Houstonians about the ease of maintaining a vegetable garden in any type of environment.

The Mayor was joined by Fast Food Nation author and film producer Eric Schlosser, who was on hand to celebrate Houston’s promotion of local food. The Mayor’s office was also joined by many organizations and volunteers to build and plant the Victory Garden. Those included the City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department, Public Works and Engineering, Urban Harvest, Keep Houston Beautiful, Asakura Robinson, Fischer Schalles Associates, Texas AgriLife, University of Houston Downtown Environmental Club, HEB, Nature’s Way Resources, San Jacinto Environmental, Thompson and Hanson, and Scotts.

"Victory" garden? Victory over what? It's a garden.

[editor]

My parents were gardeners, too. We always had corn, pumpkins, zuchini, tomatoes, watermelons, and wax beans out the wazoo.

I remember them watching Crockett's Victory Garden every week on PBS, and the book was always on a kitchen counter.

[dbigtex56]

"Victory" garden? Victory over what? It's a garden.

Good question.

Victory over hunger, obesity, diabetes, vacant lots, agribusiness... (just off the top of my head.)

[editor]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_garden

[samagon]

"Victory" garden? Victory over what? It's a garden.

Those pesky Germans.

I imagine it's only a matter of time before some activist group comes in to make people change the name of them.

I've been seriously considering building a greenhouse cover for my mini garden so I can grow through our 'winter'. If I do, I'll post info about it in the landscaping forum.

regarding the wiki link, wow:

Amid regular rationing of canned food in Britain, a poster campaign ("Plant more in '44!") encouraged the planting of victory gardens by nearly 20 million Americans. These gardens produced up to 40 percent of all the vegetable produce being consumed nationally.

that is very impressive!

[editor]

regarding the wiki link, wow:

that is very impressive!

Especially when you consider that in the 1940's, most Americans still lived in cities; suburban sprawl was still years away.