We are some history buffs around here, and the opportunity to share some of our knowledge has been an exciting aspect of opening to the public next year. While we have been working hard behind the scenes to plan out lots of experiences and areas for discovery, there is one we are extra thrilled about: a Pick-Your-Own Floral Victory Garden!

Victory Gardens were a government-led movement during WWI and WWII that encouraged the general public to grow and consume their own food. This program alleviated the pressure on the food chain during times of rationing, and it also led to a morale boost and citizen empowerment. The program garnered huge support, and victory gardens started showing up at schools, public parks, and government buildings. Posters and PSAs supporting the program were everywhere and were enhanced for future growth by including youth. While gardens swelled in popularity, additional programs related to food storage and canning followed. Herbert Hoover is quoted as saying, “Food will win the war." But, after the dust settled from our tumultuous wartime era, America's reliance on self-sustaining victory gardens waned.

While here in the US we are privileged to not live in a real-life war zone, sometimes it feels like a battlefield when you go online. Aggression, hate, and anger are all too common. The best way I know to combat these feelings is with the polar opposite: love, acceptance, and happiness. That's exactly what we grow here, and if physical wars can be supported with food, maybe digital ones can be with flowers. Jessica Hall is quoted as saying, “Flowers will win the social war.”

So, with all of the cool information we have dug up on the history of victory gardens, we found it only fitting to weave it into our pick-your-own space. This week, we took our sketches to the field and measured, flagged, and marked off the footprint to our modernized victory garden. We unrolled fabric, prepped beds to receive their first plants, and widened the paths to make them more accessible. The garden will have a flag pole and informational signs to help tell the story.  

We are dreaming big on this project and while all of our ideas might not be implemented in the first season, we can’t wait to grow this experience at Harmony Harvest. We envision white picket fencing with red, white, and blue bunting, a vine-covered tunnel entrance, and a tranquil processing space to sort your bounty like our harvest team pros. We want to provide a place to retreat and connect with the best that our American flower farm has to offer. 

We are filling our floral victory garden with a smattering of everything, from reliable perennials to favorite annuals, and shade trees for refuge from the sun. Our serene garden escape will be loaded with flora, the occasional fauna, and a healthy dose of education to arm you with flowers and a cool story.

While the majority of our Pick-Your-Own Floral Victory Garden will be installed come spring, seeing this dream come to life from our drawings is exhilarating. We hope you visit, we hope you enjoy, and we hope you learn how to live a better life through flowers.

- xoxo, Jess