From April through September 2011 I participated as a blogger in a Home Farming Project sponsored by Nabisco / Triscuit Company at the Gather.com site. Some of my gardening articles survived the cut when Gather was sold, some did not. I am trying to save all the ones that did survive so will be sharing through this blog.
In 1917, Charles Lathrop Pack, better known as a wealthy philanthropist and philatelist, organized what was called the National War Garden Commission which was instrumental in getting people all over the United States, Britain, Canada and even in war torn Germany to plant food gardens in whatever scrap of yard, empty urban lots and even city parks they could find. Eleanor Roosevelt planted one in the grounds of the White House to inspire the nation to follow.
In the United States alone, Victory Gardens contributed up to 40% of total food grown during the war years with companies such as Beech-Nut, Better Homes & Gardens Magazine, International Harvester Machinery and of course, the Department of Agriculture sponsoring colorful posters, instruction booklets on growing and preserving food and even recipe ideas to build up enthusiasm even among those who had never planted anything in the ground before.
Planting a Victory Garden was a visible way to support our fighting troops as well as feeding family and neighbors with fresh food so that much of the large farms could feed the military.
Today, neighborhood Victory Gardens are just as important as they were during the wars. Your yard might not have enough space to feed the family, but it certainly can be made to help supplement the weekly grocery shopping and cut down on soaring food costs.
Starting a small family Victory Garden can be as simple as planting a few edibles in pots by your kitchen door, patio or deck or as involved as planting rows in sunny areas of the yard.
The satisfaction of growing and picking your own tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and cucumbers is a big reward for the hours you might spend tending to your edibles.
Keeping the garden beds well mulched cuts down on dreaded hours of weeding. Saving raw food scraps, egg shells and coffee grounds to make a small compost pile, can keep your edible plants happy.
Here is how to make your own 'liquid compost' in small batches:
I like to save all the raw vegetable peelings and bit pieces not used in cooking in a plastic bucket. At the end of the day, we put them in the blender with plenty of water and process until smooth. You might have to do it in batches.
Use this raw veggie liquid mixture to water your herbs or vegetable garden by pouring it right around the stem of each plant. If you don't have enough to water all of your plants at one time, water them in sections each day.
Obviously, this is not practical for very large gardens, but it works great in ours and also if you plant herbs in pots around your lanai or terrace.
Updated note: what you don't "liquify" can go into the regular compost
