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How to Grow a Victory Garden

March 31, 2020 by Ann 18 Comments

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First of all, how are you doing? I hope you are staying well and healthy while being cooped up indoors at this strange time. Try to look on the bright side of things. Victory gardens are making a comeback! Today I want to discuss with you how to grow a victory garden.

What is a Victory Garden?

Victory gardens were private gardens that the government encouraged families to grow during World War I and II. These were also called food and war gardens, and consisted of fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

how to grow a victory garden

The government wanted families to grow their own food so that the supply chain in stores was not strained, and to also boost morale of people staying at home while loved ones were away fighting.

Why Victory Gardens Now?

Thankfully, we are not fighting a war with another country, but the coronavirus has put a strain on us in many ways. I never thought I would see empty shelves in Southern California during my lifetime, but here we are, going to stores in hopes of finding basic supplies, including food.

I have noticed that stores are getting more supplies and that people are not hoarding as much around here, but now is a great time to start supplying your own food for you and your family. So, why not grow a victory garden now?

You can avoid lines early in the morning and not worry about whether or not the grocery store has enough food to provide for you and your family. Wouldn’t it be great to just go out to your backyard (or front yard), and pull out of the ground or pick from a tree what you want to eat or make for the day?

Your Victory Garden Space

victory garden lettuce

A traditional victory garden consisted of rows of vegetables to feed a family of 5. You can be flexible with your victory garden, based on your family’s needs and how much space you have to grow.

I am currently growing all of my fruit, vegetables, and herbs in various containers in my patio. I also have some herbs in a vertical wall planter, and various vegetables in a raised garden bed.

Work with the space you have, no matter how large or small it is. Make it work for you and your family. You can even draw a diagram to plan where to you want to grow your food.

Most edible plants grow best and produce great food when getting at least a full day’s worth of sun, about 6 to 8 hours of sunshine, so also keep this in mind when planning out your victory garden.

Garden Soil

victory garden soil

You don’t want to use just any soil for your modern victory garden. If the native soil in your area works well with plants, you want to use some of this in your mix, since you can save money this way.

Southern California soil can be pretty dense with clay, so a mixture works best here. You can always ask friends, family, or a local gardener what they use in your area for soil.

I used a mixture of Miracle-Gro Potting Mix, some garden lime/dolomite, and veggie and herb fertilizer.

If you have a lot of space to work with, investing in a compost machine and making your own compost might be a great option for you too.

Ask family and friends if they have extra soil, or check out listings on Craigslist for free soil as well. It never hurts to ask around for ideas or supplies!

What Gardening Zone Do You Live In?

victory garden radishes

Before you invest in plants and/or seeds, find out what USDA Hardiness Zone you live in so you know when to plant certain vegetables, fruits and herbs. You can also ask other gardeners what they plant during specific times of the year.

Plants or Seeds?

Do you want to start with seeds or small plants? If you want to see produce in your victory garden soon or are not comfortable growing from seeds, purchasing small plants may be the better option for you. It really counts on how comfortable and how much patience you have. Both growing from seeds and plants work fine.

I’m starting with seeds for my herbs and veggies. I currently have a small strawberry plant in a container.

Most of my seeds were started in egg crates in my kitchen. I do have one mini greenhouse that came with starting soil that I highly recommend for beginners to use. I would purchase more, but its just cheaper to use egg crates. A bag of starting soil was only a few bucks, so not much of an investment.

plant seedling

Now I just have to wait for all my seedlings to grow in to beautiful plants!

Traditional victory gardens had vegetables, herbs, and fruit growing in them. Your modern victory garden can grow anything that is edible that you know you and your family will consume.

Let’s look closely at what kind of plants you can grow in your family’s victory garden.

Vegetables

You can grow all kinds of vegetables in your victory garden. If you are a beginner, you probably want to start with a few staple vegetables, then add more during the next growing season. Below are some vegetables to start with.

  • Carrots
  • Peas
  • Radishes
  • Cucumbers
  • Salad
  • Tomatoes
  • Green Beans
  • Zucchini
  • Potatoes
  • Peppers
tomato plant

Herbs

Another staple to a victory garden are herbs. Herbs are easy to grow and add great flavor to meals. You can grow herbs in pots, a spiral herb garden, a raised garden bed, or in the ground.

Some great herbs to start growing include the following:

  • Basil
  • Dill
  • Mint
  • Oregano
  • Chives
  • Lavender
  • Sage
  • Parsley
  • Rosemary
  • Cilantro

Fruit

orange tree

Many fruits grow on trees, but if you don’t have the room for trees on your property, there are plenty of fruits that grow on vines, shrubs, and as bushes. And if you do like to eat fruit from trees, many grow well in containers, too. Strawberries are my personal favorite since they grow great in hanging baskets and taste wonderful too!

Some fruits you can start growing in your victory garden are:

  • Blackberries
  • Strawberries
  • Grapes
  • Raspberries
  • Blueberries
  • Melons

Flowers

I know you’re thinking that flowers are not in any of the above categories. So, why add them to your victory garden?

There are many reasons why growing flowers in a victory garden is a great idea. They add beautiful color to your garden. Certain flowers are great to grow with vegetables since they attract pollinators and keep pests away. You don’t want bugs eating your veggies, so growing some flowers is a great idea!

Some flowers that are beneficial to grow in your victory garden include:

  • Marigold
  • Cosmos
  • Nasturtium
  • Daisies
  • Calendula
  • Sunflowers
  • Zinnias
  • Chamomile
  • Lavender
  • Sweet Pea
nasturtium flowers

Companion Planting

Companion planting is when you plant two or more plants near each other who can help the other grow. This can be two vegetables, a vegetable and flower, and more combinations.

What Kind of Fertilizer to Use?

This can get tricky if you are growing diverse plants next to each other. In general, vegetables, herbs, fruit, and flowers all require special amounts of nutrients in their fertilizer to grow well.

You can always separate your plants into vegetables and herbs, fruits, and flowers. Then, add fertilizer to those specific plants so they get the correct amount.

Watering Your Victory Garden

A watering can or hose will work well if you have a small or medium size garden, but what about a larger one?

lavender herb

An irrigation system can save you time and money if you have a large victory garden. A times sprinkler system can also work well with your garden.

In general, give you plants plenty of water when you first start growing them. You can space out watering time based on what you are planting and the length of time. You also want to look for signs of over or under watering your plants as well.

Some plants may look dry on the surface when they are actually getting plenty of water just a few inches or more underneath. A water stick is a great investment and can tell you how moist soil is further down. This can prevent you from watering your plants too much.

How to Grow a Victory Garden

This is just a basic guide on setting up your victory garden. Do you have a victory garden you are already growing for you and your family? How is your experience going so far? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below!

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Filed Under: Garden Food Tagged With: companion planting, edible garden, flower garden, fruit garden, fruit orchard, herb garden, kitchen garden, raised garden, vegetable garden, victory garden

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Comments

  1. Baby Boomer Super Saver says

    April 2, 2020 at 6:55 pm

    I have always loved the idea of Victory Gardens. Today we can help out by growing a few extra rows of food & flowers for our neighbors, senior centers, or food banks. With COVID19, I’ve started growing more of our own food, and even ordered some mushroom growing kits!
    Your directions & photos are great. The photo of nasturtiums reminded me that the leaves & flowers of the nasturtium plant are a delicious peppery flavored addition to salads!

    https://www.BabyBoomerSuperSaver.com

    Reply
    • Ann says

      April 3, 2020 at 4:49 pm

      I love how victory gardens and gardening in general is becoming popular right now. There are so many ways to help out too, which is great. The mushroom growing kit sounds interesting! I keep forgetting about how many flowers are edible. I’ll have to try out my nasturtiums once they mature. Glad to be of help!

      Reply
  2. Alison Kelly says

    April 3, 2020 at 3:32 pm

    Great refresher! It’s been a few years since I have attempted a garden and there is a lot of helpful info here! Thanks for the post!

    Reply
    • Ann says

      April 3, 2020 at 4:46 pm

      You are welcome. I highly recommend starting a garden, even if its just one plant! Thank you for visiting!

      Reply
  3. Under Flowery Sky says

    April 3, 2020 at 3:55 pm

    Inspiring ideas, gardening is so much fun and so refreshing..

    Reply
    • Ann says

      April 3, 2020 at 4:44 pm

      Thank you! Gardening is fun and refreshing, which is much needed during these hard times. Thank you for stopping by!

      Reply
  4. Holly Souzey says

    April 4, 2020 at 7:42 pm

    Love!!! It’s nothing like fresh veggies from your own garden.

    Reply
    • Ann says

      April 4, 2020 at 7:55 pm

      No there isn’t! I can’t wait to see the end results. Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  5. Sarah - Insecure Housewife says

    April 5, 2020 at 9:06 pm

    Victory gardening is such a great idea. While I am not growing a victory garden this year, unless what I’ve been doing all these years could be considered a victory garden, I am really looking forward to getting my hands in the dirt and starting to plant things. I hope to make every inch of my garden produce while also heavily focusing on a few key plants that grow the best and produce plenty.

    Reply
    • Ann says

      April 6, 2020 at 12:14 am

      I have several edible plants in a few containers, but put together, I would consider it a victory garden. Sounds like you have one as well! Its awesome to hear that so many people are growing edibles and starting to garden in general right now!

      Reply
  6. Tiffany says

    April 6, 2020 at 6:04 pm

    I haven’t found any issue getting produce in my stores. Just pantry items and paper products. I don’t want to risk exposure by buying garden supplies.

    Reply
    • Ann says

      April 7, 2020 at 5:39 pm

      That is great that you are finding supplies at your local store. I don’t recommend going out unless you absolutely have to.

      Reply
  7. Patricia Turk says

    April 6, 2020 at 7:31 pm

    I started my plants right before the mess broke out. I am so glad I did, I love that everyone is getting on board and starting gardens. I really want to invest in some fruit trees this year.

    Reply
    • Ann says

      April 7, 2020 at 5:40 pm

      I wish we had room for trees! I want to grow various fruit trees in an orchard someday. I love that so many people are gardening right now too. Its the perfect way to pass the time!

      Reply
  8. Susan says

    April 6, 2020 at 9:33 pm

    Just the right time to grow edibles. Thanks for sharing. Stay safe and well!

    Reply
    • Ann says

      April 7, 2020 at 5:41 pm

      It is. I’m so glad I started to. Can’t wait to eat my own home grown food!

      Reply
  9. Heather S says

    April 21, 2020 at 12:01 pm

    Great info! Any tips for condo dwelllers that only have a deck and pots to grow in?

    Reply
    • Ann says

      April 22, 2020 at 7:13 am

      Definitely! Most of my plants are in pots. There are plenty of fruits, veggies, and herbs that can grow in containers. You can grow several in the same pot that require similar growing conditions, or grow one type of plant in each pot. Grow bags are great for potatoes. Cloth vertical planters are also great for small spaces.

      Reply

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About the Blogger

My name is Ann. I am a lover of God, flowers, cats, beaches, and my family and friends. Stop and smell the roses while you are here. And even learn to grow your own! Welcome to my blog! Read More…

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