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Victory garden sites available at Dover scout reservation

April 11, 2020

In the 1940s, labor and transportation shortages due to World War II made it hard to move fruits and vegetables to market. During this time, nearly 20 million Americans, encouraged in part by the Boy Scouts of America, planted their own victory gardens to supplement home grocery supplies. They planted gardens in backyards and empty lots and even on city rooftops. Neighbors pooled their resources, planted different kinds of foods and formed cooperatives.

Today, the country is in a war against the coronavirus, and the Boy Scouts are here once again to promote family self-reliance by supporting home gardening. Garden plots are being offered at the Akridge Scout Reservation just south of Dover for any family in need of space to grow vegetables for themselves.

Through a lottery system, 10-by-20-foot plots will be offered. Cost is $25 a growing season. Families can get 200 square feet of soil that is tested, tilled, fertilized and ready for planting. Garden plots are separated from each other with 20-foot-wide lanes to maintain social distancing.

Parking, tools, water, seeds and plants are all provided by the Delmarva Council of Scouts BSA. A team of gardening educators will assist with online instruction, site visits and advice by email for participating families.

For more information or to apply, go to www.dmvc.org/victorygardens or email Adrienne Wrona at awrona@dmvc.org.

 

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