What is a victory garden?A garden that "produced" victory. Actually, in a way that was true. In March of 1917, the United States was preparing to enter World War I, and thus birthed the National War Garden Commission. The heart behind this commission was to not only help the United States agriculturally and economically, but also to provide food for the U.S. allies who were experiencing a severe food crisis. Victory Gardens continued through WWI and flourished greatly through WWII with government support through providing all the necessary information. According to history.com, "by 1944, an estimated 20 million Victory Gardens produced roughly 8 million tons of food—which was the equivalent of more than 40 percent of all the fresh fruits and vegetables consumed in the United States." These gardens gave people the opportunity to secure their food supply while helping the nation.
Flower boxes grew herbs, backyards grew vegetables, soccer fields were divided into plots, unused land was dedicated to producing food, and garden clubs led the charge in feeding their nation. A notable example is the Laguna Honda Project. A hospital in California offered their unused fields to the parks department and agriculture experts who divided it and gave a plot free and clear to the first 400 families. Picnic tables were provided for families to enjoy lunch and exchange seeds and produce with one another. |
|
Small Victory Garden in a front yard during WWII.
|
Laguna Honda Project 1943.
|
Why are they relevant today?
|
The Coronavirus has served as a reminder that we cannot live dependent on grocery stores nor the government to keep us stocked up on food and goods through a crisis because there's only so much they can do. The average grocery store has only 3 days of inventory; for normal shopping behavior. Most of us have experienced in times of crisis that inventory is gone within hours. By growing food from the comfort of our own homes we develope our own food security while also alleviating the strain on our communities food supply. There is an assurance that comes with growing your own food; you should know exactly where it came from, how it was grown, and how many hands it's pass through (and whether or not they were clean hands).
|
|
How we can help
Aquasol International has many years of experience in growing sustainable food systems. We would like to partner with you on building your own Victory Garden (big or small) custom to your lifestyle and location. In WWI and WWII, Americans did not grow their produce alone, but rather with the knowledge and experience provided through farmers and professionals. We would love to share our "growing" knowledge with you to help you grow towards a healthy sustainable life.
Experience We Provide
- Garden Designs
- Land Clearing
- Soil Amendments
- Composting
- Vermiculture
- Raised Bed Gardens
- Food Foresting
- Irrigation Systems
- Greenhouse Construction
- Hydroponics
- Aquaponics
- Aquaculture
Experience We Provide
- Garden Designs
- Land Clearing
- Soil Amendments
- Composting
- Vermiculture
- Raised Bed Gardens
- Food Foresting
- Irrigation Systems
- Greenhouse Construction
- Hydroponics
- Aquaponics
- Aquaculture
