Gardens through Time

Garden. What comes to mind when you read that word? Is it a sense of peace and tranquility that is emitted from a garden’s nurturing atmosphere? Or is it a rush of self accomplishment and feeling of self-reliance that one feels from the personal productivity of creating one? Gardens have been around for centuries, and, whatever passions that the word evokes on a personal level, on a historic level the purposes surrounding gardens are vast. The primary focus of a garden is to be productive on some level. Yet, simultaneously, gardens should be visually appealing as well.

Ancient Egyptians planted fruit and vegetable gardens as a sign of wealth and prosperity. They would use the produce that they grew in their sacrificial processions and ceremonial festivals.

In medieval times, gardens were used as a primary food source. They also served medicinal purposes as well. Monks played a huge role in discovering newer, better varieties of seeds and worked to find different planting and nurturing methods as well. This experimentation continued through the years and still continues to this day.

All of our early presidents placed a great emphasis on the importance of gardening and they worked to introduce the concept of self-sufficiency. First Lady Michelle Obama continues with this tradition. Join the trend today! Benner's Gardens is here to help:)

Rabbits....keep out!

This year, as gardens begin to spring up everywhere, the bunnies are feasting and flourishing. Gardens are swiftly becoming destroyed faster than they can grow. Just when your hopes of having a beautiful, productive vegetable garden are disintegrating into thin air, take heart! There is a solution.

My dad owns an old farm near Lancaster County, Pa, and I have noticed that each year the rabbit population seems to be multiplying by the hundreds! This spring, my dad took the Benner's Gardens 2’ x 150’ Rabbit Groundhog Barrier and installed it like a fence around his vegetable garden. He used small wooded stakes as posts and attached the Rabbit Groundhog barrier to the posts with zip ties. He then staked the bottom row of the barrier into the ground so that the critters could not wriggle underneath. Since the erection of this “Rabbit Fence”, his produce yield has dramatically increased. Finally we, not the local bunnies, can enjoy our very own homegrown produce!