Should We Revive "Victory Gardens"? Will Agri-Business Object?

[TomCADem]

I was out shopping for supplies for an organic garden I was planting, and came across a poster at the hardware store referring back to "Victory Gardens". The story talked about a federal effort to encourage Americans to plant vegetable gardens during WWII in response to food shortages. My question is whether the practice should be revived or encouraged. On the one hand, it would encourage folks to eat healthier, and perhaps cause less greenhouse gasses, since food does not have to travel so far. On the other hand, it would cause a significant hit to agri-business.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_garden

###

Amid regular rationing of canned food in Britain, a poster campaign ("Plant more in '44!") encouraged the planting of Victory Gardens by nearly 20 million Americans. These gardens produced up to 40 percent of all the vegetable produce being consumed nationally<2>.

It was emphasized to home front urbanites and suburbanites that the produce from their gardens would help to lower the price of vegetables needed by the US War Department to feed the troops, thus saving money that could be spent elsewhere on the military: "Our food is fighting," one poster read.

Although at first the Department of Agriculture objected to Eleanor Roosevelt's institution of a Victory Garden on the White House grounds, fearing that such a movement would hurt the food industry<3>, basic information about gardening appeared in public services booklets distributed by the Department of Agriculture, as well as by agribusiness corporations such as International Harvester and Beech-Nut.

Victory gardens were planted in backyards and on apartment-building rooftops, with the occasional vacant lot "commandeered for the war effort!" and put to use as a cornfield or a squash patch. During World War II, sections of lawn were publicly plowed for plots in Hyde Park, London to publicize the movement. In New York City, the lawns around vacant "Riverside" were devoted to victory gardens, as were portions of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.

In 1946, with the war over, many residents did not plant Victory Gardens in expectation of greater produce availability. However, shortages remained in the United Kingdom.

The Fenway Victory Gardens in the Back Bay Fens of Boston, Massachusetts and the Dowling Community Garden in Minneapolis, Minnesota, remain active as the last surviving public examples from World War II. Most plots in the Fenway Victory Gardens now feature flowers instead of vegetables while the Dowling Community Garden retains its focus on vegetables.

Since the turn of the century there has existed a growing interest in Victory Gardens. A grassroots campaign promoting such gardens has recently sprung up in the form of new Victory Gardens in public spaces, Victory Garden websites and blogs, as well as petitions to both renew a national campaign for the Victory Garden and to encourage the re-establishment of a Victory Garden on the White House lawn.

###

[dysfunctional press]

1. our family started doing gardens when i was a kid in the 70's...

i got interested in it, so my dad let me dig up the space behind the garage. then my mom got interested...then my dad.
they've done gardens ever since. i had to give it up when i became a big city apartment dweller...but now that we have a full acre to work with- my wife and i are back at it.
the broccoli is coming in spectacularly, as are the beets and the beans. i guess that the carrots, cabbage, and cauliflower are next..

we've already had some great salads, too- and the pea harvest was good, but is done for the season.

[Selatius]

2. If we could revive the art of canning, it would take things one step further.

Instead of having to consume the food once it's harvested, you could can it and stretch out the supply through the non-growing months.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

6. Hell,. me and a friend just made 140 jars of plum jam from one tree in her back yard.

Granted, this is California, and the only way to get things to die here is not to water them, but still that's a whole lotta jam.

[Selatius]

8. That's a lot of money you saved. How much does a jar of jam run in your area at the stores? nt

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

13. I don't know how much it costs. I hate plum jam!

We're giving almost all of it away. :-)

[imdjh]

20. A buck fifty for generic, two seventy five for Schmuckers, and about $5 at the health food store.

[abumbyanyothername]

21. The point is not to save money.

The point is to wrest control over our food, and know well its purity.

And also to be prepared for the possibility that someday money may sink to its true value. None.

[Bluenorthwest]

23. Which one is not filled with HFCS?

The $5 one. Maybe.

[imdjh]

32. I'll check. As I recall- it's extremely hard to find preserves with no HFCS.

I've pretty much figured that preserves is such a small item that if you try to eliminate HFCS in the things which are easier to substitute, then the one that gets through won't be such a problem.

Try finding barbeque sauce that doesn't have it. Even the high end stuff has it.

[imdjh]

38. OK here are the results.

Hannaford (sweetbay housebrand) is $1.99 or $1.99/lb and has HFCS

Smuckers is $2.59 or $2.59/lb and has HFCS

Bonne Maman is $4.59/lb and is made with real sugar.

Ispirations (Hannaford premium line) is $4.48 made with real sugar.

Dickensons, the most expensive and expensive looking is made with HFCS.

Given the low price of sugar, there is no excuse for any of these products not to be made with real sugar.

[Shallah Kali]

14. Contact your local cooperative extension service. Many still offer classes on canning &website info

http://www.umext.maine.edu/foodpreservation/canning.htm

[prolesunited]

36. There's great info on the Web for canning

and at the library. You also can find video instruction on YouTube and other sites. I taught myself last year and love it.

[Mind_your_head]

3. Oh hell....there's a WHOLE LOTTA PEOPLE who are way a head of you. eom

[Mind_your_head]

4. Oh hell....there's a WHOLE LOTTA PEOPLE who are way a head of you. eom

[abumbyanyothername]

5. I have over 80 tomato plants going now

along with some lettuce and celery and squash and melons (melons on my roof).

I am practicing for the day when the whole system collapses. (Nobody trusts money, etc.)

[TomCADem]

7. Need A Tomato Recommendation!!!

I want to plant a tomato plant in a two foot deep, 20 inch wide container. I like fresh tomatoes in salad, so I am looking for an easy to grow tomato that does not get out of control, but is tasty. Romas are okay for me, but they taste a bit bland to me. Any recommendations for a good all purpose variety?

[abumbyanyothername]

10. too many to pare down

Here are tatiana's container varieties:

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Category:Container_Tomatoes

[TomCADem]

30. I Am Asking Mostly Based On Taste Preferences

For example, Romas are widely available as seedlings, and they are ubiquitous at stores, but I find them a bit bland. I also don't really like tomatoes that are overly acidic. So, any recommendations based on what folks like as a matter of taste would be helpful.

[imdjh]

33. Get some fishing line to make a bird barrier with.

The birds will really piss you off. They don't eat a tomato here and a tomato there- they bore a cone in every ripe tomato they get to. And they are really sharp at judging ripeness- the tomato you are waiting to pick tomorrow is the one they will ruin tomorrow morning before you get out there.

[abumbyanyothername]

34. Almost any heirloom varieties

will have better taste than what you find at home depot, etc.

I like the purples, Cherokee Purple or Purple Russian. Chocolates might work better for containers.

[havocmom]

12. Lime green salad tomatoes

from Tomato Growers Supply (online and catalog) Wonderful, interesting flavor, compact plants, and pretty green color is interesting with some red and yellow varieties (Yellow Pear is a small, hearty tomato that grows easily and is not too big a plant)

The Lime Green Salad tomato is zesty, slightly citrus-y with some bite. Holds up well against strong dressings.

[Donnachaidh]

19. I have a bush goliath tomato - two actually

And these plants REALLY took off and are growing like monsters.

[NYMountaineer]

9. It would be a great idea.

Even if the system doesn't collapse, it's a great thing to do.

Speaking as a gardener by profession, I would recommend among the best things to grow as:

1. Leeks, because they don't need a great deal of space and have a good taste.

2. Cucumbers, because they're happy along any wire fence, so long as they have good sun and compost.

3. Lettuce and spinach, which will grow very well in rows, with good compost and sunlight.

4. Raspberries, which practically grow themselves. Seriously, they can go crazy on you but you'll have a bountiful harvest if you don't mind the pointy plants.

[lexanman]

11. I do both gardening and canning

save a whole lot on food bills. I have a nice herb garden too. I have a small fish pond too which I stock and let nature take its course in terms of reproduction. Apple and pear trees. A potato patch. Im good to go.

[prolesunited]

35. Very self sufficient. I like that.

I canned 7 more jars of wild black raspberry jam last night and have pickles (from my garden) chillin' before canning tonight. I'm trying potatoes for the first time this year.

No pond or fruit trees since I just have a small back yard.

[handmade34]

15. absolutely

as much as possible we should encourage 'take back our food' gardens. I was thinking along those lines today when at the grocery store I realized the limited variety of produce that is offered at many stores. Growing and buying local is healthier, better for the economy and the good of the community. I have every intention to get my small farm going when I can quit this job and live like a normal person again. I am looking for someone to work my little farm until then but have had no takers. I haven't figured out what it is going to take to inspire people to garden but it needs to be done.

[drm604]

16. It seems to be a trend around here.

I don't see how agribusiness can stop people from planting vegetables in their own yard. Home owners associations can, unfortunately, but not agribusiness.

I live in an urban environment and a lot of people are growing at least tomatoes in their backyard. We always planted at least peppers and tomatoes when I was a kid, and sometimes a lot more. It's amazing what you can grow in a 10 x 10 plot.

I currently live in an apartment but we have tomatoes growing in my mother's backyard, and her neighbors on one side also have tomatoes. The neighbors on the other side have a whole damn farm going with tomatoes, corn, plants that look like pumpkins or squash or something, some tall big leaved thing that's going to produce who knows what, and I don't know what the hell else. (I'm envious. I wish I had been that ambitious this past spring.) All this in small long skinny yards at the back of row houses.

[Flaneur]

17. Yes. And let's grow hemp for victory, too!

Or at least its cousin.

[Donnachaidh]

18. I have a victory garden in pots on my apartment patio

Two huge tomato plants and a dozen green pepper plants. Both are so expensive in the stores that we decided to grow them this year. All of them are popping out fruit bulbs daily. I cannot wait to pick our first ripe tomatoes.

Agri-business can kiss my shiny metal ass! Bring back the Victory Gardens!

[HopeHoops]

22. I've GOT a victory garden - and that's what one of my neighbors has been calling it.

We've been eating out of it since early April.

[bertman]

24. Yes, we should. Yes, BigAg will object. Fuck them. They only care about profit.

Grow organic. Buy local and organic--you don't have to buy certified organic if you know your farmers don't use chemicals. Buy pasture-raised meat. Do everything you can to support sustainable family agriculture. That's the only way we will stop the behemoths like MonSatan who are poisoning our soil, water, and air, and killing farmers all over the world.

Two excellent books on this topic:

"Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver

"The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

My family is trying to learn to live on seasonal produce and fruits. It's tough because we're used to buying whatever we want whenever we want it--even if it was shipped from New Zealand or Peru.

Reduce your carbon footprint, improve the fertility of the soil, reduce your contributions to the landfills, enjoy enhanced nutritional content and better taste. There is no down side.

Great post, TomCADem.

[tuckessee]

25. City code enforcers will shut many gardens down.

Imagine all the complaints that will flow in to code enforcing thugs from proper citizens concerned that property values will plummet because somebody is growing pumpkins or corn in their front yard.

[Individualist]

26. They're no longer Victory Gardens, they're Recession Gardens

[SpiralHawk]

27. That's Republicon Recession Gardens

to be precise...

[TomCADem]

28. So, You Are Suggesting "Bush Gardens"?

The potential beer reference is a bonus.

[Blue_In_AK]

31. Good one!

:thumbsup:

[Blue_In_AK]

29. I've had a victory garden

here at my house since 1991, the first summer after I moved in. Agri-business can object all they want.

[earth mom]

37. Agri-business is already trying to stop back yard gardens.

But sales of seeds have been through the roof this year which no doubt pisses them off.

We all need to keep an eye on what agri-business lobbyists are trying to get pushed through in Washington.