Bring Back Victory Gardens

Victory Gardens (aka war gardens) came on the scene during WWI and WWII when food supply was low and resources were even lower. Every spare piece of land was used to plant food to feed communities so commercial crops could be used to feed the troops.

With 2022 quickly going downhill…the realization of inflation, constant conflict between nations and neighbors, depletion of resources, and deception around every corner…theres a lot that we don’t have control over. But, we can control how we use the space we have. No matter if you have 20+ acres or are on the top floor of your apartment building, growing your own food CAN be done!

Can you imagine how beautiful it would be to see every spare piece of land and windowsill used to grow food, culinary herbs, and medicinal herbs to take care of families and the communities they are in? The homeless would be fed, families would be able to put healthy food on the table, reliance on the system would decrease, and there would be a renewed spirit for a slower pace of life. What a thought…

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Gardens help your grocery budget go a little longer, are a great form of exercise, and provide your family with chemical and pesticide-free food. With a little elbow grease and some dirt, your own sufficient garden can be a reality. The work you put into it will quickly turn into it working for you!

Whether you are a beginner or have been gardening for years, these 8 steps will help you get ready to plant in no time!

Follow these 8 steps to get your garden growing…

Decide what you want to grow

If you are new to gardening, start small! Every little bit that you don’t have to buy from the store will help.

Don’t plant what you won’t eat! If you don’t eat cabbage, don’t waste the space planting it. If you eat carrots every day, make sure you have enough space dedicated to growing what you will eat. Plan wisely and use your resources and space well.

Here’s what we are wanting to plant this year:

Choose your location

Make sure your location matches what your plants need. Not a lot grows in full shade so you need to make sure that your plant babies get the sun they need. For us, our front yard was the best place since we have a dog and chickens that run the backyard. Our front yard has a great mix of shade, partial sun, and full sun so all of our plants get what they need. Make sure you do your research and see what grows best in your area and try it out for yourself!

Plan your beds

I had so much fun researching what type of beds we wanted to use/start with, and because there are endless options, there were more than enough of ideas to choose from!

We ended up going with a mixture of planter blocks with 2x6x8 boards and different pots/containers- this came out to around $55/bed, which is exponentially cheaper than pre-made beds. Our goal is to create a unique foodscape so we aren’t wasting space while being functional and mobile. No one in our neighborhood has a front yard garden so we are hoping this inspires at least one to think outside of the box and use their space to the max!

Make sure you have all of the tools

You can do a lot with your hands, but tools help! We picked up a few things from our local Home Depot to help us make our garden happen:

• Bow Rake
• Hoe/Cultivator Combo
• Garden Tool Set

We already had shovels, rakes, an outside trashcan, and kneeling pads- all of which we 10/10 recommend!

Buy your seeds or starter plants

After your planning is done, now comes the fun part! Seed shopping is SO fun and can honestly get out of control quickly😂 You can get seeds from major chain stores and even get starter plants that are already growing, but if you are trying to stick to a budget, seeds are the way to go.

We get our Non-GMO heirloom seeds from True Leaf Market! We absolutely love this company and take every opportunity to support it. Their seeds are the highest quality, their staff and support are amazingly helpful, and we love that they have a warehouse cat named Taylor that keeps up quality control🐾 We found their seeds last year and will forever buy from them!

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Prep your space

Build your beds, get your soil, grab your tools, pick out your seeds and get to planting!

This was my favorite part of the entire process this year and I absolutely loved how it all came together for us. All the hours researching, money spent, time passed, and sweat dripped was worth it to see our vision come to life- it is far from over, but its a great start!

Nurture + Harvest (two steps in one😉)

Waiting to harvest is the hardest part, honestly. All the money, sweat, and effort that goes into cultivating can be excruciatingly painful when it’s time to be patient. BUT, nurturing and seeing the differences everyday in how your plants grow makes it all worth it!

A few days ago we got our first sprouts- dill of all things- and let me tell you, I cried. I have spent a year dreaming about this garden and by golly I am so proud of it all. If all we get is dill, I will be happy. If we are busting out of the seams with veggies and herbs, I will be happy. However it turns out, I will praise the Lord because I have learned so much about this new way of life and I am changed all the better for it.

I thought my job was to nurture the plants, but this whole process has been nurturing and cultivating me- what a blessing!

I wish you happy plants and days full of sun, friends!

Until next time,