© All Rights Reserved. Tracey Young, July 2020.
This was grass in November,
2019. This is a 'no dig' vegetable garden made with re-purposed/salvaged wood, borders, rocks, and stakes. Almost everything was grown from seed, using an organic veggie soil mix.
Planted: Basil; Blueberries; Carrots; Cilantro; Dill; Green onions; Lettuce; Marigolds; Nasturtiums; Peas; Onions; Raspberries; Sweet peas; Strawberries; Spinach; Tomatoes (different varieties).
Victory Gardens
These were gardens that people created, often ripping out their lawns and grass, to grow their own fruits and vegetables during World War II.
These are great gardens to grow. They include different types of plants and fruits that emphasize the food content we require to optimize our overall health. A well planned diet keeps our bodies fueled, and our immune systems working well, along with other healthy activities (including getting out in the garden). Victory gardens include:
- Anti-oxidants
- Carbohydrates
- Herbs
- Micronutrients
- Macronutrients
- Protein
- Vitamins
Victoria Garden Guide: Charts, Facts, Figures, Information
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Garden Tips:
- Planning and gathering information ahead of each growing season is important.
- What growing zone do you live in?
- Consider what your growing conditions, space, and food and diet needs are.
- What kind of light does your yard/balcony/other area get?
- How are you growing your garden: in raised beds, regular beds, containers, balcony, or other places?
- Do you need trellises, stakes, tools, or other equipment to optimize growth of climbing, or other gardening needs?
- What is your garden plant list and what's your space layout for your plants?
- Will you be doing companion planting (using certain plants, like nasturtiums, to keep bugs away from tomatoes, or other plants)?
- What growing conditions do certain plants need in your growing zone?
- Research growing conditions, read the information on seed packets to plan.
- Do you need to start seeds, or can you buy ones started and transplant into your garden?
- Do you need to rotate your crop selections, or can you grow the things in the same spots? This influences your garden map plan if you use one.
- What is your soil like? Do you need compost, manure, mulch, new soil? What are your best local options for these? For instance, stables often want people to take their excess manure, will they give you some? What about straw bales for using as a mulch?
- What is your weather like in each garden season? Can you grow fall and overwintering vegetables? What do you need to best grow your selected plants for the season in your area?
- Do you need/have a mini, medium, or large greenhouse? Do you want to make a 'poly-tunnel' or homemade greenhouse?
- Do you want/need to set up growing lights and heat mats to get your seeds and plant starts growing?
- What are your water sources, or irrigation system, for ensuring your gardens get adequate water?
- Is there a local farming/gardening group that does seed and crop swapping to help each other, and build local gardening and food capacity and connections?
ALWAYS BE PLANNING: Continuously plan your next garden season: Consider what seeds, and plants you need for your next gardening season.
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Top Selections for Victory Gardens
#1 Selections: Suitable for your specific growing zone, conditions, season, time of year, & weather and seed/plant availability.
- Beans: broad, bush, pole
- Beets
- Berries: blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, others
- Cabbage
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Chard
- Chinese vegetables: bok choi, pac choi, choi sum
- Corn
- Cucumber
- Fruit trees: apple, cherry
- Garlic
- Herbs and seasonings: basil, cilantro, dill, peppermint, rosemary, thyme
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Mustard greens
- Onions: green, white, sweet
- Lentils
- Nuts
- Peas
- Peppers
- Potatoes
- Pumpkins
- Radish
- Root vegetables: parsnips, turnip
- Squash varieties
- Sweet potatoes
- Tomatoes
- Zucchini
Wild Floridian, Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/WildFloridian/videos
- Scroll down the playlist to find more videos packed with information about growing your own victory garden and all sorts of other great gardening tips.
'Survival Gardening'
This is really just a modern take on Victory gardens. Due to some of the more challenging things that have happened, gardening enthusiasts have been sharing more information, resources, and teaching people about the vegetables and fruits to prioritize growing.
Sometimes people don't plan ahead. In those cases, they need a 'quick & dirty' plan to get stuff in the ground/container to catch the growing season.
Or they need a 'rapid response' garden to get early producers going.
Kevin Espiritu, of Epic Gardening (great video channel!), goes through some of the top nutrient, protein and carbohydrate rich foods you can grow.
9 Survival Gardening Crops to Grow in a Post Apocalyptic World
Kevin Espiritu, Epic Gardening: Top 9 crops for survival:
1. Beans
2. Corn
3. Squash
4. Cabbage
5. Potatoes
6. Kale
7. Sweet Potatoes
8. Lentils
9. Herbs____________________________________________________________________
Seeds
The issue of where to buy seeds is a big one. Shopping local is obviously an important way to support local businesses, farmers, and seed sellers. Here are some suggestions brought up in a gardening group I'm in:
- Dollar stores
- Garden stores
- Home and hardware stores
- Larger grocery stores
- Seed stores
- Seed swaps organized locally
- Local organizations that may share, or give seeds away
10 Canadian seed companies that you can still order from online
CBC News. Retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/life/home/10-canadian-seed-companies-that-you-can-still-order-from-online-1.5533464?
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BC Regional Planting Charts:
- Charts that show what month to start seeds in pots, direct sow seeds into the ground, and when to transplant vegetable starts in different growing zones in BC. Printable charts.
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Fall & Overwintering Gardens
Its always a good idea for everyone to consider how to increase access to food, and improve food security for us, and our communities.
Last year, I was able to have carrots and green onions all winter long with a small winter garden (and garlic to dig up in spring).
I got a mini, portable greenhouse with a clear plastic cover. One of the best things ever! It wasn't super durable (seams ripped in windstorms and I had to find a way to tie it down). It will need some repairs but it really did the job.
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West Coast Seeds Fall & Winter Gardening Guide here.
Link: https://www.westcoastseeds.com/blogs/garden-wisdom/winter-gardening
10 Cold Hardy Veggies You can Grow in Your Garden through the Winter
The Gardening Channel with James Prigioni.
Coastal Fall Planting:
- Arugula
- Corn Salad
- Carrots
- Endive
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Mesclun
- Mustard family
- Pac choi
- Radishes
- Spinach
- Cover Crop seeds
Link: https://www.westcoastseeds.com/blogs/garden-wisdom/overwintering
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Survival Garden Crops to Grow in Canada. MUST WATCH. | Gardening in Canada.
Gardening in Canada Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/NorthernPlanterFortheloveofplants/videos
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