Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-05-12
Letters to the Editor
Saga Of "Victory Garden" Enterprise
On Patch of Clay" Related.

saga OF victory Garden Enterprise
On Patch of Clay" Related.
To the Editor of The Star.
Thanks to you for reporting the Com
mlssloners' decisions concerning Victory
gardens on the city easement strip in
the front yards of District residents.
Last Sundays article was masterpiece,
and I am sure that it, together with
Representative Auchincloss's telegram,
had much to do with the reversal of the
ban against such gardens.
I have more than academic interest
In the matter, as I have a garden so by
% feet in our front yard, and a strip
IL by so is on District property. Last
March telephoned the surveyors office
to find out where the easement line ran
got the information and also some I'M
official encouragement to go ahead and
make the garden. Nevertheless, to be,
as thought, on the safe side, got the
written permission of my four nearest
neighbors and verbal approval from
many others who would be less affected
by the horrible sight of vegetables re-
placing what had been q beautiful ex-
panse OF crab grass and wild garlic.
I planted peas on March q and by
April had put in onions, spinach,
turnips and radishes. Now the peas are
foot high, and the family has already
consumed the first paintings of radishes
and spinach.
But late in April, after I had sowed
chard and beets, was informed by a
policeman that what I was doing was
contrary to the Commissioners rulings.
Wlllfully, I persisted in wrongdoing; I
planted carrots and lettuce, more
radlshes and onions, and two rows of
beans. Now the tomatoes are in and
most ct the planting is complete I de-
clded that at least part of the garden
was on our own property and that if I
should be ordered by the Commits
sloners to cease defacing District prop
erty could always spade up the ground
and let it lie fallow, decorated perhaps
by neat sign, This patch of clay is
the D. c. Commissioners garden for
victory"
Seriously, aside from the desirability
OF growing vegetables just now, the idea
OF garden there was part of five-year
plan for improving our lawn. During the
preparation of the ground we removed
seven bushels of stones, six bushels of
the Wiry roots of the perennial Bermuda
grass that runs out anything else in a
lawn, and four bushels of wild garlic.
We thought that with weed removal and
gency we might have chance of getting
good lawn where the wild grasses alone
had fourished before
Like us, many residents of Washing
ton have planted their back yards with
shade trees and tall bushes, for privacy
and GOODNESS through the hot summer
months. But front yards, particularly
the parts near the street, get more sun
shine and are ideally situated for vege-
tables. The soil is poor, of course, but
it can be improved, and it certainly is
no worse than the soil in the back yards,
where the Commissioners have not con-
sldered 1t economically unsound" to
grow vegetables. So here's to front-yard
gardens for those who want them, par
ticularly If the neighbors do not object!
One word of warning, though: It is
economically unsound in the sense that
you might buy the vegetables more
cheaply than you can grow them, II you
calculate your time worth anything.
From March % to May 10 my sons and
have put in 154 man-hours of garden
work, to say nothing Of money for fer
tilizer, peat moss and the like. But II
we don't mind being unsound economic
cally and II We feel that at least We are