Victory Gardens first emerged during World War 1 to help working families feed themselves during the wartime famine. And now, victory gardens have emerged yet again! Grow a victory garden wherever you have the space to help fight COVID with these tips and tricks.
Victory Gardens: Ideas
When planning your Victory Garden, it’s important to plant things that are crucial to you and your family. For example, what do you eat a lot of? Is it lettuce, broccoli, potatoes, or something else? Whatever it is, make sure that you are planting it in your garden. Most vegetables can be grown across the country, you just might have to wait a little longer to get your seeds in the ground. This growing guide will help you determine your growing zone so you can determine when is the best time to plant.
Additionally, my neighbors and I have taken to growing really diverse crops. For example, I grow kale, lettuce, sweet potatoes, strawberries, and onions. My neighbor grows regular potatoes, beans, squash, and tomatoes. We swap crops whenever we can. I love to swap because then it really feels like a war-time garden. People always used to trade back then.
Victory Gardens: How To Plant
Now (the end of April) is the perfect time to get your seeds in the ground in time for a Fall or mid-Summer harvest, depending on what you have planted. To plant, sow seeds directly in the garden bed or container that they will be reaching adulthood in. It’s too late in the year to sow seeds indoors and then transplant them. Make sure they are covered in an inch or two of soil before moving on. For the next couple of weeks while the seeds sprout, take care to keep the soil moist (but not soggy!) so that the seeds have what they need to grow strong. Most vegetables will need 6 hours of sunlight per day to produce food, so make sure you plant them in an area adequate. Additionally, depending on your location, you might have to worry about late frosts. Keep an eye on the weather and protect your seedlings by moving them inside or covering them if there is a cold snap below freezing while they are still sprouting. Learn more about vegetable gardening for beginners here.
Victory Gardens: Layout
One of the best parts about victory gardens is that the whole point of them is to grow food in whatever space you have available…no matter how small! If you have limited space available, I suggest planting your crops in containers or raised beds. Containers are better if your space is REALLY tiny because you can move them around as needed. Raised beds are perfect for those of us with a larger backyard. Containers and raised beds are a great way to protect your crops from pests and diseases, as well.
Regardless of the size of the victory garden you have to work with, it’s crucial that you only plant certain veggies in the vicinity of other veggies. Planting things next to garlic and onions might make that vegetable taste like garlic or onions, and no one wants that. Learn what you CAN plant together and what you cannot plant together with the help of this tutorial here.
Victory Gardens: Small
Have only a limited amount of space to work with? Turn an old pallet into a vertical garden with the help of this incredible tutorial. You can get SO many vegetables growing in one of those and they really don’t take up much space at all.
Victory Gardens: Modern
Pick up a set of modern concrete planters and plant your vegetables in those for a modern take on the classic victory garden. To be honest, I think I like container gardens better than normal ones!
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