“Victory Gardens” Is It Time To Recycle An Old Idea?

During WWII, about 20 million “Victory Gardens” were planted. Many of America’s farmers were off fighting a war, and our country was counted on by their Allies to help with supplying food. In addition, U-boats were sinking supply convoys at an alarming rate, and all of this put an extreme demand on our food supply that lead to rationing.

The solution during these difficult times were, of course, Victory Gardens!

Agriculture Secretary Claude Wickard began promoting the idea of families pulling together and working on a fun and productive activity; growing their own vegetables in their back yards. According to research done by author Sarah Sundin, “Some 20 million Victory Gardens were planted (US population in 1940 was 132 million), and by 1943, these little plots produced 40 percent of all vegetables consumed in the US. It’s estimated that 9-10 million tons of vegetables were grown.”

With the outbreak of the coronavirus worldwide pandemic and hording of certain items, maybe we should all start looking at small ways of being more self-sufficient. It doesn’t take much space to grow a tomato plant or two. Even if you live in an apartment, you should be able to make a window box or a few potted container gardens! So many more of us now live in suburbs than our counterparts in 1941. I would think we could out do the 40% home grown vegetables in no time.

Gardening is a health activity that can save you money and ensures a supply of food where you know everything that has gone into growing your vegetables. All of this can be done while you are spending more time at home with your family and less time in stores.

I’m not suggesting that we will have shortages of food, but I can see scenarios where our supply chains can be interrupted. I say it’s better to be safe than sorry… so start learning how to garden!  With the information available on the internet you can become a successful gardener in no time.

But don’t stop there, before you know it you will have more tomatoes than you can use or give away. Start researching canning!