During World War II, fresh foods and produce were rationed throughout the U.S. To help citizens cope with the change, the wartime government promoted Victory Gardens, which encouraged people to grow their own food and to keep up morale.
Whether you had a huge yard to grow your veggies or a small outdoor patio, people across the country took part and picked up gardening for the greater good. Tap or click here to see 3 handy tricks for gardening in small spaces.
Flash forward to 2020, and the world is dealing with a completely different global problem. Unlike during the war, there’s still plenty of food, but visiting the market can be risky. Instead, here are four resources you can use to start your own Victory Garden at home, so you can get fresh food on your plate without risking coronavirus exposure.
1. Learning how to become a gardener
If you’ve never managed your own garden, you’ll probably need a few pointers. That’s where the Royal Horticultural Society comes in.
Founded in the U.K., it’s one of the world’s leading gardening charities. Its extensive website offers numerous video courses and guides for fledgling gardeners, and can set you on the right path to growing your own food with ease.
The Society’s website breaks down gardening into steps for beginners and offers tutorials on growing a range of items including fresh fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants.
You can even watch an introductory course on weeding, so you’ll know how to protect your budding crops as they continue to grow.
2. Take that new knowledge a step further
Get more pointers from Garden Answer’s YouTube channel. Boasting more than 740,000 subscribers, this verified YouTube channel is designed to make gardening easy for beginners and experienced growers alike.
In addition to offering courses on planting and maintenance, you can also find guides on growing in small spaces, which is essential for those of us with apartments or limited yard space to do our gardening.
You can even find guides on specific varieties of plants like succulents, root vegetables and drought-tolerant crops.
3. Visit Burpee for all your seed needs
When making a Victory Garden, you won’t get too far without seeds and tools. Burpee.com is one of the top online outlets for seeds and gardening supplies, and it’s a great resource for getting started with your plant projects in one go.
The website organizes its wares by plant category, and the gardening supplies section contains everything you need from shovels to plant containers, as well as mulch and fertilizer.
Related: Tap or click to see 3 great ways to improve your yard.
Keep in mind, though, that demand for gardening supplies and seeds is high at the moment, so expect some items to be out of stock temporarily, and for shipping times to take longer than average. When it arrives, don’t forget to properly disinfect the packaging. Tap or click here for pointers on sanitizing your online orders.
4. GKH Gardening Companion for iOS helps you keep track of your progress
Now that you’ve gotten the answers you want and the supplies you need, you can start planting and growing at your leisure. But getting started is only part of the journey. Once your plants start growing, you need to keep an eye on their growth and development.
That’s where GKH Gardening Companion for iOS comes in. This useful free app will automatically set reminders for your garden based on the type of plants you enter, and you can attach photos and notes to see how your plants change as time goes by.
Most importantly, the app takes your local weather into account, and will help you prepare for unexpected developments like rain or drought.
Whatever it is you grow, we know that you’ll enjoy spending time with nature in the comfort of your home. Plus, you’ll know what it’s like to truly make food from scratch (without inventing the universe, as Carl Sagan used to say).
Happy gardening!