Starting a Victory Garden
Have you ever heard of a Victory Garden? They are such a great part of United States history that is easily overlooked. But with everything going on in the world today, many people are thinking about growing their own fruits and vegetables again, in a modern day Victory Garden! Let me teach you a little bit about them and why you should add one to your home.
What is a Victory Garden?
During both world wars there were serious food shortages because a lot of food grown on farms in the United States had to be exported to allies. The people of the U.S. were encouraged to utilize residential and public spaces as vegetable and fruit gardens. This included anything from flower pots, flower boxes, rooftops, parks, school grounds and more. People were able to help out the war effort by growing their own fruits and vegetables. This also allowed the American people to support themselves and mitigate the food shortage/security issues. These gardens were referred to as "Victory Gardens".
I have always been really interested in the history behind the Victory Garden movement. I actually own an original copy of a Victory Garden guide from World War II and a poster encouraging people to "join the US crop corps" (or to work on a farm during World War II.) The idea of encouraging people to start growing their own vegetables and crops was such an important part of the war effort and our history.
Who even grows gardens anymore?
As a society I think we have become so far removed from the idea of growing our own vegetables and fruits and supporting our family with items from our home garden. When I think about it I can count on one hand the number of my friends and neighbors who actually grow some of their own vegetables in the summer. So many people have forgotten the ways of their grandparents and great grandparents who never let food go to waste and grew so much of it themselves. Maybe this is the perfect time to rediscover our roots!
Perfect timing for a Victory Garden!
Similar to the when the first Victory Gardens were planted during the World Wars, we are fighting a kind of war today; against a virus. It has caused enough panic that our grocery shelves are empty and produce is sparse. While farmers and growers will do everything in their power to get fresh food to everyone they cannot suddenly produce more vegetables, and so much depends on factors out of their control. If you've thought about starting a garden and/or growing some of your own food, this is the perfect time to do it. You and your family will reap so many benefits starting your own Victory Garden!
So many benefits of a Victory Garden!
1. Food Security
Think about every time you've bought groceries during the last month since quarantining began. Were you able to get the produce you wanted consistently? Was it good quality? Could you even find frozen or canned fruits or vegetables you wanted? Honestly for me it has been a little stressful seeing how depleted the shelves have been.
You probably will not start out growing everything that your family likes to eat the first year gardening. The amazing farmers will keep producing and getting as much as they can in stores to fill those voids. But, by adding a garden you can grow some of your favorites and count on the fact that you will be able to have them. Even better, if your garden produces a high yield you can freeze or preserve the extras to eat throughout the cold months when your garden is no longer producing.
2. Control the Care & Handling of your Food
Our food changes hands quite a few times from the farm to our homes. While you hope that everyone in contact with it follows proper handling and care procedures, you really never know. By growing your own food you take all of the middle men and women out of the process. You get full control of how your plants are grown and cared for from seed to production. Pretty nice, right?
3. New Project/Hobby
A garden could be such a great new project or hobby for you or your entire family to get involved with! You can start now by working to make plans for what to grow and where you will grow it. Then do research on the plants and how to grow them. Find out if they can grow in your area, what they need, how far apart to plant them, etc. When the plants start producing you will be harvesting the fruits or vegetables and utilizing them or preserving them. Again, more great things to learn: recipes to use the produce in or how to best preserve extras for future use.
Learning to garden is such a great project. There is always so much to research and figure out along the way.
4. Healthy Living
One of the top recommendations I have seen to deal with stress during the quarantine is to get outside. Gardening is an amazing way to get outside. I find it incredibly calming to spend time outside in my garden planting, weeding, watering or harvesting.
The other great benefit will be growing fresh fruits and vegetables, which are a key ingredient to a healthy lifestyle!
This is the perfect time to plan your Victory Garden!
While you are spending time quarantined at home would be the perfect time to think about a garden. Your family can reap benefits such as: food security, control of your food, a new hobby, plus a healthy lifestyle! Remember you can add a Victory Garden to your yard, porch, balcony or wherever you can grow something. It doesn't have to be big, it just has to be somewhere you can grow fruit, vegetables or herbs that you enjoy!
Happy gardening planning! I can't wait to see all of the new Victory Gardens!
Gardening Resources:
There are so many gardening resources available online! Be sure to use sources you trust for information. I highly recommend seeing if your local Cooperative Extension Service or Master Gardener program has any resources or guides online. I also recommend the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
