The Modern Victory Garden

I'm not sure if this is going to be too board of a question or not. But I'll take my chances and pray for all the help I can get!!

Most of us have heard the old saying that goes something like, "Give a man a fish and you've fed him a meal. Teach him to fish and he can feed himself". 

Our church food bank has asked me to conduct research to see what it would take to assist, not only our congregation, but the community at large, in learning how to start their own "Victory Gardens".

Where do I start? What are the "basics" that would be needed to start the smallest of gardens. The fabulous photos I'm seeing posted at this sight are out-standing; but I'm sure most who will be participating will only be able to have a small garden (i.e.: along the space between their homes, on a porch &/or in a window sill).

Thank you in advance for any guidance you may be able to provide,

Make it a great new day! 

The principals are the same whether it is a big garden such as mine or a more modest undertaking.   When I personally help someone get started - I like to see them start with a single bed that is 4 feet wide by 12 or 16  feet long.   This is easily constructed and dug/amended and yet provides enough growing area to grow enough variety of crops to make it rewarding and worthwhile.   Some lettuces, carrots, green beans, onions, two tomatoes (with support), can all be grown in a 4'x12' bed and provide a nice supply of fresh produce for one or two people.   These are all easy to grow and well liked by most people.   As individuals gain skills and experience, more beds can be added and more crops can be grown.  In the meantime, this is an area of ground that can be easily worked, requires only a modest amount of compost and fertilizer, and can actually be just hand watered using a hose with a wand attachment.  

I hope others chime in and comment with their own suggestions and ideas.  

Thank you! Yes. This has been very helpful! Since I am so new to your web site, is there a way to search for basic instructional "how-to" &/or outlines of each topic?

Most of the postings I've reviewed on your sight sound as if the individuals have been at this for some time. I am a laymen at this process and do not want to burden anyone with trying to get me up to speed with the rest of those posting.

Should I be seeking another site that may handle us "beginners" with questions such as: What would be the "basic" process for individuals to grow their gardens on their porches?  Is there any where an "outline"/step by step process that could be handed out to the beginners to get them up and running?

A good source of basic garden info is the blog series I did last year.   If you go to the blog page there is a category listing in the sidebar menu - just select "blog series" and you will get them all.   The go from newest to youngest so if you want to read them in order go to the last one and work your way back to the top.    You might also want to check out the "How To" info pages as well (main menu at the top right of the screen).   For good basic "getting started" info you might want to read Mel Bartholomew's book - Square Foot Gardening, only I would suggest you read the old 1980's versions which in my opinion are much better than his latest releases (which are very dummied down).  

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Square-Foot-Gardening/Mel-Bartholomew/e/9780878573417

John Jeavon's book  "How to Grow More Vegetables" is a wonderful book to also have -taking you from just getting started to self sufficiency if you are seeking it.

http://www.amazon.com/How-Grow-More-Vegetables-Possible/dp/0898154154

I hope that helps more!

Thank you once again. I'm sure with all the information you have so graciously provided, our church Food Bank will be able to get off to a great start. I'm looking forward to the very near future when I may be able to post pictures of the mini "Victory Gardens" that you assisted in making possible.

Oh, happy day  Bless you for already havung done all of the legs and research for me and countless others enabling us to sustain ourselves nutritional no matter the escalating price of oil.

We want to offer the service of installing a complete raised box bed four-season, intensive, succession-planted Victory Garden  as a support strategy  assuring greater peace of mind and sense of security and safety for the aging population of us 'Baby Boomers' by providing dependable, reasonably-priced support appropriate to each client's expressed needs and wishes,  Envisioned as Peace of Mind Social Enterprise Cooperative serving the entire Northern Neck region, but launched here in Lancaster County.

So, where to begin buy here?

Ethan - that sounds like an interesting business idea!   I would encourage you to read through the blog series (go to the blog page and select "blog seies" from the category menu on the right hand side bar).   There are many other pages in the main menu with "how to" info and I post lots of info in the photo gallery - particularly in the seed starting and the baking and preserving albums.    Basically... just strolll around and use the blog category sorter to zero in on blog posts that discuss items of particular interest to you!

I second the rec on Mel's book, great info for intensive gardening.  I myself have just started my first full season with three 4x8 beds.  Would like to have gone larger, but the lumberyard had a special on 8-foot 2x10s

5 Year Plan

This is not a sales pitch for sustainability. If you were not already sold, you would not be here. This is a how to

without breaking your back or the bank. There are a few rules that make it easier and they can save you a lot of

money:

1. Plan big but start small.

2. No invasives!

3. Compost, mulch

4. Orchard

5. Chickens

6. Start seeds indoors in winter

7. Maximize perennials

8. Build soil

9. Do not walk in beds

1. Plan big but start small.

The number one reason that so many novice gardeners only last one year is weeds. A huge garden

requires a lot of time and work to weed. A tiny garden can be tended in minutes and it will teach you

that which you need to know to do twice as much next year. Mulch will help suppress weeds and make

them easier to pull. Use the bulk of the time the first year planning, learning, making compost and

fencing. This is an ideal time to plant and fence a few fruit and nut trees. A three foot fence will keep

deer out of a small area. A twelve foot fence will not keep deer out of a large area.

2. No invasives!

A weed is anything growing where you do not want it. A rose is a weed in a cornfield. English ivy,

Bermuda grass and kudzu are all examples. They are weeds because they are so good at spreading from

where they are permissible to where you do not want them. Plant aggressive spreaders only if you first

have a method in place to control their spread. The easiest way control them is to not permit them on

your land.

3. Compost, Mulch

The most important thing to remember about sustainability is that you must feed the soil with organics.

Chemical fertilizer, herbicides and pesticides are not sustainable. More is required each year at a higher

cost to maintain production. They destroy the soil and poison the plants, our earth and water. Organics

in the form of compost and mulch, on the other hand, strengthen the soil and the plants. When combined

with crop rotation less is required each year.

4. Orchard

Master gardener training taught me that fruit trees are high maintenance. They require fertilizing,

pruning and heavy doses of chemical insecticides. If you like to eat beautiful poison fruit this is true. If

you want fruit that is healthful for you let your compost and your chickens tend the orchard

weeding, feeding, cleaning up cast fruit and bug patrol. You will still have to prune, harvest fruit and

collect the eggs.

5. Chickens

Housing and feeding chickens is expensive unless you deduct the cost of the tiller, fuel, insecticide,

fertilizer, meat and eggs. Chickens eat anything smaller and slower than chickens. You can build a

chicken moat around your garden or better yet give them the orchard and fence them out of some beds

when it is time to plant. Let them back in when the plants are large enough to survive them until

flowering and again after harvest.

6. Start seeds indoors in winter

You may be able to buy sets and bedding plants each year but your choices may be limited and the

quality poor. When you start your own from last years saved seeds you have the plants you want on

your schedule at a greatly reduced cost. Saving seeds is recommended of all your favorite varieties, and

a good way to ensure the availability of heirloom seeds.

7. Maximize perennials

Annuals may give you more color sooner but perennials are a “one time and it's good for years”. There

are many plants that will do this for you but they are only a bargain if your family will eat them. You

need to give them the best soil possible to start and top dress with compost and mulch each year. Do not

forget the orchard. Self seeding annuals are second best but you have to let them go to seed and not

mulch in the fall. On some this lessens the quality of the fruit.

8. Build soil

Feed the soil and prevent erosion. Feed it organics at any stage of decomposition. Raw is okay as

mulch on the surface as long as it does not mat and is not too high (hot) in any one nutrient or too acid or

alkaline. Finished compost is better, but partially digested is best. It better feeds the soil animals that

are beneficial to your soil and plants.

9. Do not walk in beds

Do not do anything to compact the soil. Stepping stones and narrow beds help. Tilling, cultivating and

walking in the beds not only compact the soil, it can cause hard-pan. This is a layer that in impenetrable

to water and most roots. One of the few plants that can grow on hard-pan is moss.

So much for rules. I told you this was a five year plan.

Year one: Read, study, plan, start a small kitchen garden, start composting, plant a few fruit and or nut trees and

fence.

Year two: Learn from last years mistakes, more fence, make beds and fill with compost, introduce chickens,

enlarge the kitchen garden and plant a small veggie garden, feed garden, make more compost. Mulch.

Year three: Keep learning. Fence chickens out of old beds in orchard and plant. Build more beds, enlarge

orchard, enlarge garden, feed garden, compost and mulch.

Year four: Keep learning. Improve soil, correct last years problems. Enjoy orchard fruit. Compost and mulch.

Year five: Feed soil, mulch and tweak the gardens.

Robert Bradford

SW MO, USA

Wow.  I've been missing all the action on this board.

Yeah - read the post from Laura and Robert, then read them again. This will help you get launched, so to speak.  Good stuff there.