Gardens could make comeback in current economy

STAFFORD — At the Jan. 15 meeting of the Stafford County Parks and Recreation Commission, Bobby Crisp, George Washington District, stated that home production of produce could help citizens offset the rising costs of fuel, medical expenses and food.

In World War I, this effort was called a “war garden.” In World War II it was considered a Victory Garden — and it worked. Estimates are that about 70 percent of the country’s produce was produced by people keeping gardens in their own homes.

Victory or War Gardens were gardens citizens grew in their front and back yards, the tops of their roofs and across the street in empty lots. These gardens grew fruits and vegetables that people ate and canned so that the produce being grown by farmers could be sent overseas to soldiers and allies.

Gardening was touted as one of the most patriotic things a person could do to support the war effort. It was a successful campaign. Enough people created victory gardens that when they stopped growing their own gardens in 1945, there was a food shortage in both Britain and the United States.

The idea of growing one’s own food in a victory garden is on the rise.

Gwen Pote of the Stafford office of the Virginia Cooperative Extension said that she’s seen a rise in interest in vegetable gardening. At last year’s meeting, one of the presenters mentioned that vegetables used to be at the bottom of the list of the most popular plants. Now, they are second on the list — after grass, she said.

At the Maymont Flower Festival in Richmond late last month, George Lansing of Chester shared his “Victory Egg Garden” idea.

Lansing combined ideas in a couple of books, added his passion for gardening to his own brand of creativity and suggested that people have several raised bed gardens in their own back yards. Three or four chickens can be raised in one enclosed, raised garden bed, and the chickens can be moved to a different bed every three to four months, he said.

“That way,” he noted, “the chickens do your fertilizing for you. They also turn your compost pile, debug your garden, and each chicken produces about two eggs every three days.”

President Barack Obama has signed a bill into law, taking the first step forward in tackling the economy. Until the effects of the bill can be felt and seen, however, every little penny counts, and one packet of seeds can cost less than one dollar.

The VCE recommends getting your soil tested, so that you know what sort of fertilizers to add to your garden. The VCE offers a soil testing kit for free; the soil is then tested at Virginia Polytechnic Institute for $7 plus packaging.

Most of the residents in Stafford have “Virginia clay” soil. Pote commented that there are actually some benefits to that.

“Clay soils usually hold nutrients and moisture better than sandy soil,” Pote said.

No matter the reason for growing, Pote noted that people ought to “grow things that they enjoy eating. That way they’ll definitely enjoy the rewards of gardening.”

A number of gardening experts recommend adding “10-10-10” fertilizer to the soil to add nutrients Virginia clay can hold on to.

“If you have an area to start seeds in, in the cool weather of early spring, do it. If you want to plant seedlings, wait until it gets warmer,” said John Baranowski, a Master Gardener VCE volunteer. He added that neither method makes a big difference to the plants.

Doug Cooke of ORC Grounds Management, said that vegetables are some of the easiest plants to grow, although Pote commented that fruits like blackberries and strawberries, watermelons and blueberries aren’t particularly difficult either.

Stafford Victory Gardens is a local organization that was founded “to empower willing citizens to produce some of their own food on nearby property.” The project offers various classes throughout the growing season that are open to all Stafford citizens and has a partnership with the VCE’s Stafford branch.

Stafford Victory Gardens can be reached by visiting staffordvictorygardens.org. To contact VCE with questions or comments, call (540) 658-8000.

Megan Sweeney is a contributing writer for the Stafford County Sun. She can be reached at .