In a world of $10 lettuce, crumbling supply chains, and mental burnout, digging into the dirt might just be the quiet rebellion we all need. Victory gardens are no longer just wartime relics – they’re back, and they’re badass.
Victory Garden Origins
During the First World War, several countries promoted the growth of home vegetable plots, or victory gardens, as a means of food security and a symbol of patriotism and resilience. “War gardens” persisted into the Second World War, bringing some people back from the brink of starvation through backyard and community food sources. These gardens proved pivotal during conflict, economic strain, and supply chain disruptions.
Local grassroots initiatives laid the foundation of a strong national force based on cooperation and load sharing. For example, these efforts are echoed by the Local Growers highlighted in the magazine. They are the mothers growing organic food to address neurodivergence in their children in the age of Big Ag and Big Pharma. They are the hobbyists turned professionals in response to mounting societal uncertainties.
Gardening takes some degree of skill and plenty of elbow grease. Tending plants, in return, tends the soul in a digital world that capitalizes on insecurities born out of disconnect. Sometimes, we forget the importance of connection to nature and ourselves. We are part of a greater web of life – a partnership juxtaposing dominator culture.
Speaking from experience (and despite shady geopolitics), a victory garden, with its poignant name and emotional symbolism, is the best way for people to reconnect with nature and find a sense of self-empowerment. The playful practice of gardening heals as much as the clean food it produces.
The Garden is Forgiving
The spirit of the victory garden is back! Grandma’s self-reliance hobbies, such as growing food, foraging herbs, canning roots, and fermenting kraut, kimchi, and kombucha, are resurging. Food costs are on the rise, and with them, loaves of sourdough in the everyday kitchen. Climate instability and trade wars persist, as do the negotiations on Craigslist and Marketplace for raised garden beds, rolling composters, and free pallets for crafty DIY garden infrastructure.
While a victory garden has a political, wartime connotation, it is also a passive form of activism that provides meaningful, tangible results, therapeutic benefits, and good old-fashioned fun!
Forget perfectionism. Even the most experienced gardeners kill plants on the regular. Fortunately for us, nature doesn’t hold grudges. So, scrap it and start again.
Seeds didn’t sprout? Buy little plant starts. Forgot to open the greenhouse during a hot day and scorched your seedlings? Find hardy, high-yielding tomato and zucchini plants. Too late in the season to grow this spring or summer? Plan a winter garden full of Brassicas. Didn’t hit your projected yield? Subscribe to a CSA box and support growers near you.
Life is messy; keep moving! Failure is compost! Put your hands in the dirt!
Victory Gardens and Simple Savings
With the cost of living the way it is, there is an opportunity to get creative with a nourishing victory garden. For instance, this spring, I amended lifeless soil from years past that has been sitting fallow in old pots with rabbit and deer manure. I collect eggshells, rinse, roast, blend them, and mix the calcium-rich powder into the topsoil. I keep coffee grounds and loose-leaf tea to compost or mix into the soil as a mulch or fertilizer.
I dug a hügelkultur this year as we have an abundance of decaying logs and leaves on the property to use that will break down for future spring and summer crops. I installed a raised bed with decaying logs in the bottom, then leaves and sandy soil, with potting soil on top amended with manure. I reuse valuable kitchen scraps and outputs while keeping purchases, such as soil and fertilizer, to a minimum. Try worm-casting teas and living compost fertilizers to bolster the soil microbiome.
Grow What You Can, Where You Can
Once the soil and plant nutrient requirements are covered, the decision surrounding seeds or plant starts, both of which are still viable options even in late May, is crop-dependent. Start small, start simple. Choose easy-to-grow, nutrient-dense options like lettuce, tomatoes, and beans. Layer aging potatoes with sprouted eyes in a tall laundry basket with straw and soil to create a space-saving potato tower.
I’ve already planted summer and winter squash in the front garden. The rich soil and water-holding capacity make for a hands-off approach. I purchased cucumber and tomato starts from a women-led community incentive that sells vertical greens. My green beans have taken off next to a simple rope trellis, growing in an old kitchen sink I picked up on the side of the road two years ago.
There are far more reasons to start a victory garden than not. If space is an issue, maximize a balcony or back deck to grow fresh greens and radishes. Got a windowsill? You’ve got a garden! Backyard plots are excellent, regardless of whether you own the property. Rally some friends and garden at a rented allotment or community garden.
Beyond eating fresh food, reconnecting with nature, and reducing your carbon footprint, victory gardens are a great way to practice skills for the future homestead, pass them on to the younger generations, or lean on them if things get really hairy down the road.
Victory Gardens for Medicine and Community Healing
Why stop there?
Dig into the alchemical madness of Korean Natural Farming, explore companion planting, trap plants, and natural IPM methods such as blended capsaicin spray as a non-toxic pesticide or top-dressing soil with diatomaceous earth (DE) on dry days.
Read up on gentle herbalism and natural remedies. Propagate roots like ginger for stomach upset, forage dandelion roots to use as a liver tonic, drink chamomile or lemon balm as a nervine tea or cultivate beautiful echinacea cone flowers for immune support. Easy-to-grow calendula is an excellent addition to the healing salve when infused in a carrier oil and mixed with beeswax. And just like that, you have an entry-level apothecary that supports local biodiversity!
Reap the rewards during harvest and share the bounty with neighbors and food banks, or preserve it for the winter months. Food production is a rewarding hobby and the quickest way to basic well-being and self-sufficiency. Remember that failure is just another step toward further learning.
Today, amid geopolitical anxiety, rising prices, and general fatigue, more people are turning to their backyards for stress management and food production. The gentle message carried by the victory garden is this: we are creative, we are autonomous, and we have the tools and know-how to care for our friends and families.
