Image Courtesy: victorygardensvancouver.ca

“Today, my friends I beg your pardon, but I’d like to speak of my Victory Garden. With a hoe for a sword and citronella for armor, I ventured forth and became a farmer …” -Ogden Nash 1943

So the first question is what’s a Victory Garden? What are the plants that grow in a Victory Garden? When do we grow it? and most importantly how?

A lush garden, overflowing with  fresh and healthy organic fruits and vegetables and all in you backyard is truly amazing. Victory Gardens, to begin with were the vegetable gardens that were planted in the USA during the World War II to meet the vegetable and food grain requirements. It was meant to supply abundance of fresh veggies and fruits to the families, neighbors and also the troops.

The perfect time to grow such gardens was Summer. The crops so produced had to be sufficient to feed the people through the rest of the seasons. Excess produce were preserved in cans for winters in to the next gardening season.

Image Courtesy: upload.wikimedia.org

The land for such gardens and also the other supplies like seeds, educational posters were provided by the Government, seed companies, schools, private foundations, etc. They also worked together to educate the people about gardening crops.

Civilians, all across USA comprising of kids, adults tilled their porches, backyards, parks school grounds, fertilized them,  grew crops and harvested them. The crops produced were plenty and fresh and sustained them adequately.

Soil Type for Victory Garden:

The soil type perfectly suited for Victory Garden is Loam. The soil type and components have to be established before starting your garden. It will make it easier to find what crops will grow best in the particular kind of soil. The sand, gravel, silt and also the minerals once determined will help in assessing the quantity or proportion  of fertilizers and minerals required to be added to be able to yield maximum produce.

Tips: To test the soil, take a sample of the soil and check with the local cooperative extension service.

Victory Garden|Image Courtesy: victorygardeninitiative.org

Spring Crops for Victory Garden:

A wide variety of crops grew in the Victory Garden, but the ones for Spring included the likes of: Peas, Carrots, Lettuce, Radish, Onion, Kale, etc.

Tips: The crops to start with indoors could be: Peppers, Tomato, Basil, and as the weather gets warmer slowly start with green leafy vegetables.

Summer Crops for Victory Garden:

The summer crops for the Victory Garden included beans, basil, lettuce, corns, cucumbers, eggplants, okra, muskmelons, peppers, squash, tomatoes, watermelons, etc.

Tips:   Harvest crops often, as old vegetables left on the plant drain energy from new growth.

Weed your garden often.Vegetables need room to grow.

As your vegetables grow, thin the rows as needed by pulling out some of the seedlings.

Victory Garden|Image Courtesy: media.treehugger.com

Information Courtesy: gardens.si.edu