Victory gardens connect community during pandemic
NEW MILFORD — For most of her life, Wendy Del Monte was, what she called, a “black thumb.” Plants would wither and die in her care. The flowers in the front of her house were fake.
But now, when Del Monte looks out at her backyard, she can see the slightly sloping land with a U-shaped “Victory Garden” that brought forth an abundance of fresh produce last year. Someday, the entire backyard will be a garden, Del Monte said. And she dreams of having an orchard.
“In a situation in which the world was uncertain, being able to just sit and connect with myself in the quiet outside — and there’s birds and bees and buzzing — it’s very grounding when everything else is spinning out of control,” Del Monte, 50, said of her Victory Garden, which she started last spring during the pandemic.
“It really was a magical place to be.”
In 2020, as the days warmed and people remained sequestered in their homes, wondering how much toilet paper or flour they’d be able to get at the store this time around, an outdoor activity — and one that produced fresh vegetables and required a lot of time and attention — seemed like the perfect solution.
It wasn’t just a distraction, although it did serve that purpose. The New Milford Victory Gardens became a way for the community to provide for themselves and help others. Harkening back to World War II, the garden was supposed to promote self-sufficiency in an uncertain world. And now the Victory Gardens are back for a second year.
The idea, spurred by Mayor Pete Bass’ concern about possible food shortages and supply issues, came to life during a town COVID Task Force meeting.
Thanks to social media campaign organized by Grant Dupill, community resource specialist for the town, the idea gained traction. Dupill started a Facebook page on May 8. The cover photo was set to a 1940s-era Works Progress Administration (WPA) advertisement with the words, “Grow It Yourself, Plan a Farm Garden Now,” splashed across the top, alongside images of plants growing in soil.
The page was then shared in local neighborhood forums, where several residents said they first saw mention of the Victory Gardens idea.
People joined the page, intrigued by the idea and eager to get involved. Dupill reached out to the New Milford Garden Club as well as local farms and farmers, and began filming live and recorded content to introduce gardening techniques and skills to the public. Former mayor Bob Gambino got involved, offering free advice and soil testing for anyone interested. Others used the page to crowdsource information about their own gardening efforts.
This was the first step in reforming Del Monte’s black thumb.
“It made it less scary because there was always someone around to ask,” said Del Monte, a frequent poster. “I would ask tons of questions. I’d take videos and say, ‘What the heck is this? Does anyone know what bug this is?’”
The page has 494 likes and 551 accounts following their updates. And the second season of Victory Gardens is just gearing up.
“The interest was pretty high. We had a pretty decent following,” Dupill said.
Residents volunteered to grow seedlings for free distribution at the John Pettibone Community Center. Around 40 households in New Milford showed up to pick up the plants, and Dupill kept adding more content to the page for those who weren’t able to take advantage of the seedling giveaway.
Longtime resident and farm owner Margery Feldberg, who was also a member of the task force, said the town reached out to local suppliers and vendors to give them a heads up and see if they wanted to put together “Victory Garden” packages that they could supply to customers. That way, if residents called asking what they needed to start their gardens, the vendors had something easy and on-hand.
“You can produce a surprising amount of produce in a shockingly small amount of space,” Feldberg said.
At the First Congregational Church of New Milford, its Victory Garden efforts helped connect with and feed the community during a difficult time, said Christian Education Director Becky Passero, 46.
The yard space, which the church shares with neighboring St. John’s Episcopal Church, became home to a vegetable garden. The produce they grew there was then able to support the culinary school that worked out of the church, providing meals to the town’s senior center.
“They cooked for the senior center and delivered those meals to the shut-in seniors during the entire pandemic,” Passero said. “That’s what you’re supposed to do, you’re supposed to grow what you need and then share it out.”
Passero said they’re planning on adding two more raised gardening boxes soon and hopes the gardening program will “blossom.” The church also wants to involve the congregation’s children during their vacation bible school.
“It’s just a little bit to give back to the community,” she said.
While some gardeners grew for their own families, others also shared the fruits of their labor. Ivana Butera, New Milford social services director, said the department received between 200 to 300 pounds of homegrown vegetables last year from the Victory Garden participants.
This year, with the erratic New England spring weather, New Milfordites said they’re waiting until Mother’s Day to plant their gardens.
While Del Monte can still look forward to eating the canned tomatoes and pickled peppers she has left over from last year’s crop, she’s excited begin planting again.
“Boy, is it such a sense of accomplishment when you open the cupboard and it’s full of things you’ve canned yourself,” she said.
She’s also learned a lot along the way by making mistakes. Her cucumbers, for example, were an “abject failure,” Del Monte said.
She now knows she should have tended the soil more and planted them differently.
“I think it’s important to realize that gardening, like anything else, is a process,” she said. “You’re not going to be perfect at everything.”