My early childhood years were spent on my grandparents’ farm in the Eastern part of our state, where the pine trees grow tall and the soil carries sand from the Atlantic two hours away. My memories of those years are of quiet, flat land with crops of green beans as far as my eyes could see, fruit trees in the yard, and my mother’s beautiful roses. It was good growing land. Several people in my family worked in gardens, large and small, for food or ornament. I am thankful for their example.

Several years ago, my husband and I decided to start gardening. Our first attempt was in straw bales, which worked beautifully for most things. The bales were in a fenced area that had once been a chicken yard. Then, we tilled a plot and tried growing directly in the soil. The dirt here grows gorgeous plants but we lost of produce to local wildlife and critters on the ground.

Raised Beds & In-Ground Plots

Three or four years ago, we decided to try raised bed gardens—hands down my favorite. It is forgiving to “ladies of a certain age” (ahem) who get overwhelmed by the physicality of repeatedly stooping and standing under a hot Southern sun. After all, our back yard isn’t boot camp.

We still grow some things directly in the ground, mainly potatoes, tomatoes and large squashes and melons. Mostly everything else gets a spot in a raised bed. Besides being easy to work in, raised beds are also easy to cover if the weather gets hot enough to scorch delicate plants, crazy enough to smash them with hail, or cold enough to kill them with frost. It makes the growing season longer and steadier for us.

Other Options

There are other ways to garden—in greenhouses, in containers—and whichever method you prefer will have the advantage if it gets you to the business of cultivating food. Even if your space is extremely limited, you may be able to grow herbs or microgreens in containers. They are nutrient powerhouses. This is not only a worthwhile skill but also a great hobby. Watching a tiny seed grow to produce colorful, delicious vegetables or fruits is a marvel to delight the eyes and fill the belly.

During World War II in-ground plots and greenhouses provided tons of much-needed food for civilians on the home front. Uncultivated bits and pieces of land were pressed into service along with larger, existing gardens that had, until the War, grown roses or other flowers. These “Victory Gardens” removed some of the strain on commercial growers and transportation. They helped feed troops and save the lives of merchant marines.

Our Own Victory Garden

My husband and I are not horticultural experts. Each year, we have successes and failures. We keep trying new things to find out what works best in our garden. We talk about how the plants are doing and what might help them to produce better next year. We learn how to support sprawling plants so we can actually find vegetables under their leafy cover. We grow the same crop in more than one way so we can find out which method gives the best results. We learn about heirloom varieties and how to save their seeds so we can plant from our own reserves in coming years.

Every year, we learn more fascinating data about simple vegetables we never considered before. There are countless miniscule skill areas that add greatly to the satisfaction of gardening. That may sound like a contradiction in terms—when we began gardening, I felt like a student cramming for an exam. But we didn’t have to start with such a large garden. It is okay to take time to learn the necessary bits on how, where and when to plant each seed. And the more you absorb and put into practice, the greater the joy in the ripe crops.

Whether in war or peace time, if you have any space—even a container or two—learning to grow some of your own food is empowering. What would you, or do you, grow in your victory garden?

"And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden..." (Genesis 2:8a)