Two Thanksgivings ago, while visiting my family in North Carolina, my husband and I visited the Airborne Museum in Fayetteville. We love going there— we are Army nerds like that. :) While browsing the gift shop, we came across a poster that I had never seen before (the one to the left). It was a WWII poster urging families to raise a “victory gardern.” Now imagine my husband’s surprise when this garden lover asked him ‘What is a victory garden?”. My husband is a military history buff and he was more than happy to explain to me what the concept behind the victory garden was.
During WWI, as part of the war effort, food was rationed by the Furthermore, the was a shortage in labor and transportation which made it hard to harvest fruits and vegetable and then transport them across the nation. With this conundrum, the government decided ‘Why not ask people to grow their own food?” and the idea of the “Victory Gardens” was created. Millions joined in this new initiative and across America, gardens sprouted everywhere. Patriotism inspired people to not only grow, but to share the fruits of their labor with their neighbors. According to USDA, 20 million victory gardens were planted across the US. After WWII ended, so did the rationing and with it, the concept of victory gardens for the most part.
Fast forward to today, as we find ourselves in a different kind of war— one where the enemy is invisible and we do not know we have been attacked until it is too late. While the COVID-19 is creating economic havoc, we are not experiencing food shortages. We are truly blessed that grocery stores have been able to stock for the most part. I do my shopping at a local co-op and they have access to various farmers in the area to keep food availability going. That being said, because of how easy it is to get infected with COVID-19 and the shelter-in-home orders across most of the states in the Nation, many are considering the idea of going back to the concept of the “victory gardens".”
I am a farmer’s wife, but I am a city girl, so my idea of gardening has always been growing flowers and having a pretty garden. But this year, I am considering expanding what I grow and going into vegetable growing. Next year, we are building a new house in the country (right now we live in a subdivision of our small town), and the new garden plans include a vegetable garden. I am not going to lie, this pandemic scares the bejezuz out of me, and I just want to stay home. And apparently many other people, as it appears that victory gardens are in everyone’s mind once again. And it makes so much sense especially when you consider how social distancing is the best way to avoid getting the virus. If you grow your food, you will not have to go into areas where you will come in contact with people. Unlike WWII, today we can order virtually anything we need for a garden online. Granted going to the garden store is part of the fun, but for safety reasons, ordering online makes the most sense. You can grow whatever you or your family likes, and then share the bounty. Education-wise, think of what a great project this will be. I would actually start a journal to record the progress of the victory garden. Imagine decades from now and them reading about this experience.
Sadly, the growing season has not started in Minnesota and the ground is still frozen. So I started growing in containers. This time of sheltering-in-place has made me look at food security and even more— be in awe of my mother-in-law. She is always thinking ahead and canning food whenever possible. She was a baby when WWII ended and I am sure her parents passed on the important of food security and told her stories of the times of food rationing in America. I always thought growing your own food and food canning were unnecessary when you can buy them, but this quarantine has really shown me that it is actually like insurance in your family’s health and welfare.
Before I end this post, I wanted to share this 1942 film from the FDR Presidential Museum I came across a few days ago. Families like these grew half the produce in the nation by the end of WWII. This is mind boggling to me, but a true testament to the spirit of cooperation and patriotism.
So, this year, you will find me growing some veggies. Do you grow veggies? Did you know about victory gardens?