Isn't it time you created your own Victory Garden?

The current interest in growing food in our own backyards harks back to the "Victory Gardens" that were popular during the first and second world wars. In those days, Victory Gardens were encouraged as a way of helping the war effort, involving ordinary folk in meeting basic needs for their families and communities.

Today, the reasons for wanting to grow our own food are many:

• Economic pressure has families searching for ways to cut down on our grocery bills. Growing food in our own yards really does help with this.

• In a world where "summer delicacies" show up on our winter tables from questionable origins, we often yearn for fresh, seasonal vegetables that make a short trip from the garden to our dinner plates.

• The bland choices in the supermarket often don't compare the more exotic and heirloom varieties of fruits and vegetables one can cultivate at home.

• More consumers are concerned about the impact that mass produced food has on our health and the environment. Many people appreciate the option to grow their own produce without the use of chemicals and pesticides.

• The distance food typically travels to get to our plates, so called "food miles," is between 1,500 and 2,500 miles. The energy used for just the transportation is huge, let alone the packaging and processing that needs to go along with that.

• Many parents are sharing with their children an appreciation for both nature and the true taste of fresh produce picked right from the garden.

Where can I put my Victory Garden?

Plant your garden in the sunniest spot on your property - and don't rule out your front yard if you're worried about aesthetics. There are many ways to beautify your garden, such as building raised beds, or edging it with a low hedge or a living wall. Honestly, what is more useful in these times-- a decorative lawn that needs lots of water, fertilizer and constant maintenance, or an attractive vegetable and fruit garden that can feed your family and give you a huge sense of satisfaction with less resources?

How big should I make my Victory Garden?

My suggestion is to start small. I have come across many people who have built large vegetable gardens with grand plans, only to find that it becomes too much work. As Lisa Singer, VP of Gardens To Gro, says

"Who wants to be a part-time farmer? . The goal is to have a garden that, on average, does not require more than 15 minutes of work per week. Vegetable gardening is a fun hobby--don't make it a job by building a garden that is too big."

A rectangular garden should be twice as wide as your arm's reach with about two or three feet on either side for access.  For an average woman, this would make your garden area four feet wide and as long as you need or are able.  With the additional walkways either side, you're looking at a space that is about 8 feet wide.

At The Yard Fairy, we have found L-shaped beds maximize the growing area, while they make it easy to tend to the plants. A set of four of these beds provides a very attractive semi-formal look, with the possibility of a bench or birdbath in the center. In this layout, each section of the "L" is about four feet wide, while the ends are two feet. This whole garden requires a minimal space that is 10 feet square.

San Diego based Gardens to Gro provide a range of garden kits ranging in size from 8 foot by 8 foot, to 8 foot by 12 foot. Their gardens are arranged in a U shape, and come complete with fencing and a gate to protect against bunnies, wire mesh to protect against gophers, and their own dedicated irrigation system and hose. Their smallest gardens feed a family of four, while the larger model will feed a family of five or six.

How should I build my Victory Garden?

Raised beds built using timber provide an easy construction option. Avoid using pressure treated timber or railroad ties, as these materials contain chemicals that could contaminate your food. Lee Valley Tools sells raised bed stakes making the corner joints for vegetable beds easy and flexible. The beds can be a variety of shapes, and the staking feature means you can make the bed taller to reduce the amount of bending you need to do. A typical sitting height is 18-22” so you will need at least three stakes for each corner, and three pieces of 2”x6” lumber for each side.

Other traditional choices for building your Victory Garden include mortared wall blocks or retaining wall blocks. For some unusual materials consider recycled concrete, straw bales, sand bags and recycled bottles.

What if I don't have room for a dedicated Victory Garden?

Think about combining vegetable plants with flowers in your yard, front or back. The idea of so-called "edible gardening" is also very popular, and many edible plants combine well with ornamentals. The Mediterranean climate here in San Diego means that plants such as rosemary, thyme and oregano do really well here with very little maintenance, and yet they provide fragrance, color and edible goodness. Fruit trees such as pomegranate, dwarf citrus and figs can be used for shade, flower, fruit and fragrance in the edible landscape. Grape vines and espaliered apple provide us with wonderful opportunities to create living fences.

Use your patio or balcony for containers, and grow vegetables, fruit and herbs in those.  Even a bright kitchen windowsill can be used to grow sprouts.

Sign up for a plot at a community garden. Community gardens exist in Escondido, Carlsbad, Oceanside, Fallbrook, San Marcos and Poway. For between $10 and $75 per year you can grow your own Victory Garden even if you live in an apartment.

Get creative and look around your local area. Perhaps a neighbor or friend without time or ability would let you garden their yard, in exchange for some produce.

Useful sites and further information

1. Revive the Victory Garden is an organization that provides useful information about creating Victory Gardens to grow food at home, canning and preserving the excess, and the concept of food miles --how far your food has traveled between the farm and the plate
   

2. For a discussion on Food Miles

3. San Diego based Gardens to Gro provide vegetable garden kits in a range of sizes. Their site contains a useful planting calendar for Southern California as well as good advice about sizing a vegetable garden so that it stays a hobby and not a part time job.

4. A list of community gardens and the contact information can be found on the San Diego Master Gardener Association website

Other useful organizations:

1. San Diego Food not Lawns

2. San Diego Roots

The Yard Fairy Offers a Full Range of Landscape Design Services

The Yard Fairy Inc. is an award winning landscape design and installation company specializing in low water, low maintenance yards in North San Diego County. To arrange your consultation with The Yard Fairy, please call 760 804 1661 or email us today.

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