Organic Garden Corner

Victory Gardens

Just the other day I spied ugly little grey creatures crawling on my yellow crookneck squash plant. They may be God’s little creatures, but I still don’t like them. They are borers and can kill a squash plant in a heartbeat. Did I spray? No! Once in another “lifetime” a long time ago I might have poisoned them. This time I am proud to say I attacked the situation IMMEDIATELY! I carefully cut off the part of the plant where the little critters were congregated and scooped it all in a garbage bag. It may or may not be a real kosher way to deal with the problem, however, my plant is bug free and still giving me more squash than I ever dreamed. We do what we have to do………..

But what is really on my mind today is the Victory Garden concept of growing primarily vegetables that originally came into being during World War I as an effort to enable American citizens to produce food that would help secure their needs as well as our troops. Need I say that prior to the end of World War II all gardening was (as far as I know) an organic affair. You can read the very interesting history of victory gardening on our sister site at www.thewholefoodjournal.com. Dare I say that victory gardening is just as important today as it always has been in history?

Some of the most basic foods to grow in a victory garden are potatoes, corn and beans allowing for ideal use of space in a small organic garden. Simply plant corn along the potato rows and also pole beans that will climb the corn stalks and keep producing ’til frost if you keep picking.

Grow more tomatoes than you will ever need. Two years ago I planted eighteen tomato plants in my pretty tiny garden for two. Most everybody thought I was nuts, but they loved the fruits (and the variety) I shared with them. It’s surprising how many meals begin with tomatoes in some form. Cucumbers are another crop that provides the basis for such goodies as old fashioned sour pickles like my grandmother used to make and a myrid of other preserved foods. FYI: The recipe forGrandma’s Old Fashioned Sour Pickles, as I remember them and still make them, will magically show up on www.foodpreservation.com very soon……cause time could be running out this season.

Back to the Victory Garden. Always, always plant black zucchini and yellow crookneck squash. I have two of each. Stir-fry with onion and red and green peppers……..very good! My sister-in-law slices the big ones and cooks them on the grill, seasoning with olive oil and parmesan. I like to dehydrate chunks for winter soups and stews. If you are the brave one, try one of the unusual and beautiful heirloom squashes.

You will want in your victory garden lots of greens, especially spinach and lettuce, as well as those from various root crops like beets, turnips. Try several different varieties of carrots here and there in soft ground. Cabbage and melons require more space……..if you have it.

Finally, our beloved herbs and flowers. My favorite herbs are parsley, basil, oregano, dill, cilentro, garlic and rosemary. My favorite flowers are zinnia, marigold and calendula. Plant your favorites.

I hope you come back to Organic Garden Corner all winter long as you will find all sorts of great information about gardening with emphasis on organic methods. Along with topics like companion planting and heirloom seed treasures, you’ll also learn the best places to buy your seed and how to save your own if you want. Right now, plan ahead and Happy Victory Gardening!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 at 6:29 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.