In the midst of what has otherwise been a heavy, unrelenting year, many Midwesterners have found solace in the dirt.
So-called “COVID gardens” have popped up all over the country since the beginning of the pandemic with more people working from home and becoming self-reliant in the wake of food supply disruptions.
“I can tell you right now, if the pandemic wouldn’t have happened, the garden would not be as big as it is now, because I wouldn’t have had enough time to plant that stuff and take care of it,” says Robert Jones, an Illinois resident who got serious about gardening this year.
COVID gardens harken back to “victory gardens” from the World War II era, when governments encouraged people to plant gardens to supplement the food supply and boost morale.
Andrea Bouck also lives in Illinois and says gardening has helped take her mind off of the pandemic.
“If there’s any silver linings that you can draw from a national and worldwide tragedy, I think that one is what it is for me,” she says.
“If there’s any silver linings that you can draw from a national and worldwide tragedy, I think that one is what it is for me,” she says.
Follow Dana on Twitter: @DanaHCronin
Copyright 2020 Harvest Public Media
