The Return of the Victory Gardens

With the fast approaching food crises, it’s a very good idea for everyone to consider the victory gardens. Victory gardens were popular in America, UK, Canada and Australia during World War I and II. In those times, the population had rationing cards and stamps, helped to prevent food shortages and freed up commercial crops to feed soldiers.

In those times, victory gardens were grown in nearly every spare patch of land in private gardens, public land, parks, playgrounds, and churchyards. Even window boxes and front-step containers became useful victory gardens.

They stretch the food budget, provide healthy exercise, producing chemical free fruit and vegetables, help the environment, and allow a way for people to be self-sufficient. Often they had enough space to share produce left over with others.

What can you grow in a victory garden?

Beets
Beans
Cabbage
Kohlrabi
Peas
Kale
Turnips
Lettuce
Spinach
Garlic
Swiss chard
Parsnips
Carrots
Onions
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Herbs
Strawberries
Raspberries
Blueberries

You need food high in nutrition, such as beans, beets, cabbage, carrots, kale, lettuce, peas, tomatoes, turnips, squash, and Swiss chard. Consider planting a new crop in the same space after harvesting a previously grown veggie, and staggering planting times. This is a good idea for vegetables, like lettuce, that need to be eaten fairly quickly. Instead of planting 20 heads of lettuce at one time, it’s better to plant 10, then wait a week or two to plant the next 10 to provide a continuous supply throughout the growing season.

And before you start to plant blindly whatever is on this list or the other, it’s a very good idea to talk to your family and see what they like to eat and what not. After all, kale may be a super food, packed with vitamins, but if no one likes it, no one will eat it—why grow it?

The next question is, how many plants for each vegetable type do you need to keep your family well-fed throughout the season?

On this site there is a guide, which is based on the amount of plants needed to feed one person, so multiply by the number of family members who will be eating that particular veggie.

For all of your vegetables and fruit, you need the seeds. You can buy the seeds locally, or you can order them on the Internet (here). On the same site as above, you can click on the link of vegetables in order to see where you can order it and how much it cost.

How to start your own victory garden

Whatever the design, you can start such garden everywhere. You can start in your backyard, or a raised garden or a container victory garden. Consider asking around about community gardens in your neighborhood, or start your own community victory garden.

Normally, it’s wise to start small when you’re new to gardening. But with the fast approaching economical chaos, you might not have enough time. You might consider joining a gardening group or get books or do research on the Internet about planting, watering, fertilizing and coping with troublesome pests and disease in your area.

In general, you need a spot where the soil drains well and doesn’t remain soggy. Most vegetables need at least a few hours of sunlight a day. Tomatoes for example need all-day warmth and bright sunlight.

And before you plant, get a generous amount of compost or well-rotten manure. Here follow some useful links:

Download the 1942’s Victory Garden handbook (PDF) from here.