Planting yourself a victory garden this coming season
As the book of Ecclesiastes says, there is nothing new under the sun. When I initially considered writing about victory gardens, I shuddered to choose a topic that has been headlining so frequently. But after further consideration, I realized victory gardens were successful (in part) because they were widely propagandized. Posters and newspapers spammed Americans with the idea of planting food crops on private and even public property. Therefore, I join my voice with the masses: Plant yourself a victory garden this season.
Victory gardens became a part of life for Americans and Canadians in1917 when the U.S. National War Garden Commission was created by Charles Winthrop Pack. The idea of supporting the war effort by reducing stress on the food production industry, already diminished by conscription, was so popular that it was enacted by Americans again during WWII and gained popularity in Australia and Britain, too.
In an online publication for the History Channel, Laura Schuum estimated 5 million new garden plots were sown in1918 by “soldiers of the soil.” By 1943, some 20 million victory gardens were planted in the
United States and contributed 40% of the vegetables consumed. Although I couldn’t find the exact source of those statistics, the USDA has a digital exhibit about canning through the wars with the numbers to support the claim. Canning was one method for preserving food. The government promoted this effort with fervor, going so far as to correlate canning with Allied victory. Home demonstrations, canning clubs and community canning centers with trained staff were just a few of the ways the government supported the war garden effort. The effort paid off with a peak in1943 of 4 billion canned goods produced.
Surprisingly, one victory garden has endured through the years and been spared through numerous proposals for development. Established in1942, the Fenway Victory Gardens in Boston, Massachusetts stretches seven acres and has 500 fenced plots still being tended today. Although only 25% of the plots are used just for veggies, the gardens provide surplus to the Greater Boston Food Bank, a noble homage to the original concept.
Growing your own fruit, vegetables and herbs this season offers a trifecta of benefits during the coronavirus chaos. Even the fastest herbs and vegetables take a month or two to mature, but in the long run it will save money and cut down on trips to the store (thus, avoiding germs). While homegrown produce only has a slight nutritional advantage over store bought, it definitely tastes better. Commercially grown produce is picked before it is ripe to protect it during shipping and ripened chemically with ethylene gas. Shipping fruits and vegetables limits which varieties can be used — the more delicate (and flavorful) heirloom varieties cannot be shipped. Growing your own food is a great way to ensure fresh fruits and vegetables make it to your plate, giving the vitamins and minerals we all need to stay healthy. Lastly, a victory garden will boost your mental and physical health just by spending more time outside.
With the last frost date undoubtedly behind us, the time has come for gardening in earnest. Heirloom seeds and starter plants are available online and can be shipped right to your door. If you plan to run out to purchase plants, consider getting a group order together for neighbors and friends to cut down on shopping trips and whenever possible, shop at the ever-endangered local garden shops.
In Full Bloom is a weekly feature from Allissa Bunner that focuses on sustainable gardening, environmental stewardship and related community news and initiatives. Bunner is a Norfolk resident who is passionate about plants — especially natives — and enjoys growing things from seed. She can be reached at acbinfullbloom@gmail.com.