Victory Garden Blitz Kicks Off Saturday

Hundreds will take to their Milwaukee gardens Saturday, as the Victory Garden Initiative kicks off its yearly Victory Garden Blitz.

Gardening can provide $600-$800 worth of produce in one year, depending on what you grow. It can combat rising food prices and a vulnerable food system that will eventually collapse due to reliance on oil, Shorewood resident and director of the VGI, Grethen Mead said.

"I don’t want my food to come from 1500 miles away and processed," Mead said in a previous interview with Patch. "I want my food to be local and healthy."

Volunteers will scatter about the metro Milwaukee area, and install garden beds in local yards. The blitz is a one-day event, all about providing locals with the means to build gardens in their homes, schools and communities. Interested parties will meet 9 a.m. at the Urban Ecology Center, Riverside Park, 1500 E. Park Place.

Participants can have a 4X8 foot raised beds with organic soil for $125 each, or 2 beds for $200. The compost is made from organic residuals, turning waste back into food. Last year, VGI installed 100 gardens and looks to meet that goal again; they are still seeking volunteers for gardens.

Planting can begin immediately after a bed is installed with educational support from VGI for those new to gardening.

For those without the space for their own gardens, VGI has two community gardens.

Visit www.victorygardeninitiative.org for more information.