Victory Gardening

by Dexter Dowell

During the First Great War, and gaining momentous traction during the Second, there was a grassroots movement across our nation of hobby farmers planting Victory Gardens. With over 16 million American troops fighting overseas, the high-volume farms of The Greatest Generation were producing large quantities of grain and vegetables, along with livestock to feed them. It was not only important to provide enough calories to keep them fighting, but the higher quality foods and tobacco were morale boosters in those dire times. But doing this put tremendous pressure on our country’s food supply as a whole, along with the European countries we were supplementing.

Here begins the Victory Garden. In order to reduce that pressure, private residences across the country tilled their small plots of land and planted as many fruits and vegetables as they could grow. Along with war bonds and recruiting campaigns, shop windows all along Main Street America were replete with posters to grow your own food.

This was a time when all of America banded together to ensure the survival of freedom and democracy. The model American of that time was one who sacrificed what he or she could, all in the name of victory for the Allied Powers. Not everyone could be Rosie the Riveter or Uncle Sam’s new nephew, but they could still sow their own seeds and reap a helping hand for the home of the brave.

Now, nearly 75 years after World War II, the trend to plant Victory Gardens is once again taking root on American soil. Not because we have a food shortage, but as a means to understand the efforts of our forefathers and empathize with the plights of yesteryear.

Contributing writer of Cypress Magazine, Brandi Sikora, and husband Jason of Millington, Tennessee, have been keeping this tradition alive in three raised gardens behind their home. “I think the victory to be had in this instance is knowing what you’re putting in your body. So many foods are genetically modified now, and then with the pesticides…it’s hard to know exactly what I’m putting in my body,” says Brandi. Her garden produces an assortment of fruits and vegetables—tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, squash, as well as various companion flowers and herbs.

The majority of their soil is sourced from their own grass clippings and kitchen scraps. Composting. This is the process of bacteria and yeast breaking down organic matter into a rich soil-like consistency. Blended with well-draining topsoil, the mixture is brimming with the nutrients and micro-organisms that plants need to thrive. “I enjoy composting,” explains Jason. “It’s beautiful to witness microscopic life turn a bunch of junk into dirt that we can use.”

“The garden has expanded this year. It started off as a 4x8 raised bed and I grew tomatoes, bell peppers, and jalapenos. I put in two more 4x8 beds. Nearby, I have a pollinator garden...because I want to attract bees and butterflies to pollinate the veggies.”  Brandi uses companion planting as well, growing nasturtium, basil, and marigolds near the tomatoes. Basil and marigolds help stave off hornworms, while the nasturtium works to distract aphids. Jason enjoys the educational experience of it all. “I’m learning what to do and what not to do. People aren’t learning that anymore...they just go to the store and buy it.”

Victory gardening has taken on a different identity this century. Rather than being a way to sustain our nation’s food supply, it is a retreat from the bustling minutiae of everyday life—a way to get back to a simpler time. “When I’m watering, weeding, and harvesting, I’m not thinking about anything else,” says Jason. He adds that, “gardening is hard work, and it amazes me every day how much time and energy goes into producing just a handful of vegetables. After two seasons of this, I have gained a strong appreciation for our country’s farmers and field workers who do this every single day of their lives.”

Both Jason and Brandi grew up in America’s farmland, but neither of them had much experience growing food. Although technology has driven most Americans away from the agrarian life, it is also bringing these two folks back to it. The Internet is teeming with blogs, videos, and educational forums that have taught them everything they know today about gardening and probably everything they’ll need to know tomorrow. But according to Jason, “Our best teachers so far have been Trial and Error along with Mother Nature.”