Making A Victory Garden For Survival

Making A Victory Garden For Survival

Part of dealing with an emergency situation is to be prepared. The old-fashioned victory garden is a good start towards preparing for an emergency. The victory garden is from World War II British gardening, where anyone with a small plot of land, even a small front yard, would plant food crops in it, and raise them as a way to deal with rationing.

By having crops on hand, even a few plants, families would be able to make rations go further. As a victory garden is simple to prepare and raise, it makes for a great way to save on groceries now, and an emergency situation should it appear.

The most important decision is which crops to raise. For most people this will end up being non-grains, such as squash, tomatoes, and other vines and plants. Grains are disqualified simply because they require a lot space per person; as most victory gardens are small, typically less than an acre, there is simply not enough space to raise enough grain for even one person. Vines can be planted so that they take on one side of the garden, forming a wall, and plants can be put into rows or areas, making them very efficient for a small space.

The garden itself should be easy to maintain once it is set up. Most of the plants are perennials, so they do not need to be replanted each year. Also, fertilizer is easy enough to find; ash from fireplaces makes a valuable fertilizer, and any organic remainders from meals can be composted, along with yard waste. Store-bought fertilizer can always be bought and stored, and the garden requires very little compared to an actual farm. As long as the garden is watered and has some shade, it will be easy to maintain.

Depending on the size of the victory garden, it may be necessary to can some of the harvest. This simply means that a number of cans and lids need to be ready, and that they can be recycled if they are washed and stored between harvests. Although it can get messy, it is an effective way to store some of the harvest, and possibly use it as a trading item. As the garden is easy to set up and maintain, and can be used as barter, it can be a nice way to be prepared when it is hard to buy food, or at least be used to save money in non-emergency times.