From a victory garden, to a victorious garden Top garden returns to Dirt Magazine’s Kitchen Garden Tour July 29

It all started in 1944. Frank Hennion worked alongside his father tending to a large victory garden and various animals: cows, pigs, chickens, horses.
“We self-sustained ourselves during World War II,” explains Hennion.
His life has revolved around the theme of sustainability ever since. The only time Hennion didn’t maintain a garden was during a 25-year career working for a metal-recycling company. He also did a couple of stints as a forester—at first in Vermont, and later, at home in Sussex County.
Today, he’s retired and back to tending the sprawling veggie patch he and his wife started in 2010. He took home 3rd place for Best Overall Garden during last year’s Kitchen Garden Tour, and it’s easy to see why. If you can name it, Frank is probably growing it organically in his backyard: garlic, kale, asparagus, peppers, lettuce, rhubarb, zucchini, oregano, peas, cucumbers, dill.
The list goes on. He has 21 tomato plants. He refers to his 70-pound pumpkins as “wheelbarrow pumpkins” because you need one in order to move them.
He and his wife—who took home 2 awards from the county fair for her canned pickles and rhubarb chutney—grow so much food that they don’t need to visit the produce section of the grocery store. In fact, they’ve been known to donate their surplus to local pantries and restaurants.
See Frank’s award-winning garden, and learn all of his tips and tricks during Dirt’s Kitchen Garden Tour on Sunday, July 29. Get tickets at kitchengardentours.com