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Although utilized in World War I, Victory Gardens became one of the cornerstones of the war effort during World War II. In the United States, Canada and Great Britain civilians were asked and openly
encouraged to grow their own vegetables in order to reduce the strain on market prices and inventories. “Grow more in ‘44” became the battle cry for citizens everywhere to do their part for the war effort. Over 20 million Americans alone grew victory gardens in 1944 resulting in about a 40% decrease in market demand which greatly increased the food supply to our soldiers in Europe and the Pacific.
Victory gardens were generally planted with vegetables such as potatoes, tomatoes, beans, corn, carrots, squash, spinach, lettuce, and other staple produce normally bought down at the local market. Of course after the end of World War II, Victory Gardens became less and less around the country as produce supplies increased on grocers shelves. The idea of helping your country during a time of crisis somehow brings back the carefree days of your youth and a much simpler time.
You can still return to that bygone era when you create your own Victory Garden. But instead of helping our soldiers, consider that you are helping your family and yourself. Creating a Victory Garden will not only reduce your grocery bills each week but will also relieve stress and tension while reminding you of a time when life wasn’t so hurried. Plus, you will get the added bonus of actually growing delicious vegetables for your family. Make it a family project and have everyone pitch in with their own choices of produce to grow. Divide the garden into sections for each family member and watch how everyone helps out and comes together for a come cause. This is what happened over 65 years ago but on a much larger scale.
To begin with you will need to pick a location that offers a good amount of sunlight each day. You will want to keep the critters out (dogs, cats and varmints) so putting up a perimeter fence is a good idea. Next, you will want to till the soil about 6 to 8 inches deep (remove rocks, sticks and roots) and to the freshly tilled soil add in some sand and a lot of compost. Depending upon the size of your Victory Garden, you might want to consider installing an irrigation system like soaker hoses to cut down on your watering duties. Once this is accomplishes, install your fence and you are ready to begin planting your crops. Some produce will be in seed form and others will be live plants or roots. Carefully follow the planting instructions so as to set the proper distance between them. Remember or research how each plant grows so you do not over plant the area or for your ability to eat them. Take corn, one corn stalk can yield several ears of corn so you really do not need to plant a lot of it. Same with potatoes but under ground rather than on top; one potato plant can yield several potatoes. Tomato plants require cages around them to help them grow straight up, this will decrease the amount of space they occupy and keep the vegetable off the ground.
What ever you decide to plant in your family’s Victory Garden you can be sure of one thing, it will be a great achievement for everyone to bask and eat in.
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