Is anyone planting a Victory Garden? - YouLookFab Forum

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Is anyone planting a Victory Garden?

Runcarla

Veteran

I have massive flower gardens, but one bed that was opened up last year due to removal of a dead tree does not have much in it. I’m thinking of using it to grow fresh veg this summer. I can always plant flowers later. It will have to be protected with a chicken wire ‘fence’ since rabbits around here are very destructive. I’ve grown veg before, and herb in pots every year.

Anyone else planning to grow some veg this summer?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_garden

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40 replies

Latest reply was from anne

rachylou

Veteran

Always do a veg garden. I guess it’s getting late and I should start. Normally the gardener would come and weed and do whatnot in the garden first. Fix up the deer cages. I don’t suppose that won’t be happening...

Ginger

Veteran

Lawn care and mowing are essential down here. We really don't want a rodent and bug problem on top of everything else. So maybe your gardener can still come, Rachy?

JAileen

Veteran

We have a vegetable garden every year. I’m starting tomatoes (inside) in the next day or so, I’ve got sugar snap peas soaking before I plant, and my husband prepared two beds yesterday. They are for the peas, spinach, carrots and radishes. Maybe lettuce. It might snow this weekend.

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Ginger

Veteran

Err... to Carla's original question, I hadn't seriously considered it. I have very little hard-won garden space, the soil is kind of bad and the climate tough (we grow cows, not crops here), and I'm a picky eater anyway. :p But I do grow a couple herbs successfully, and want to try to find spots for a couple more. Right now I have parsley and thyme (which I have to hack back every few months), and I want to find space for basil and maybe rosemary. It's really handy to have fresh ones available, since they're not the same as dried.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I would love to, but we are in the woods, so 1) most of our yard is too shady, and 2) critters eat everything — the overpopulated deer decimate our hostas and azaleas and hydrangeas.

I would like to do some containers on our deck, which actually gets lots of sun, but other than tomatoes and maybe some herbs, I’m not sure what else might be east container gardening here — cucumbers maybe?

Kate

Veteran

I always grow herbs, but this year I'm thinking of doing some veg on my rooftop deck.

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

I have some containers going on the roof -- lemons, limes, calamondins, rosemary, basil, and mint. I'd like to add some more herbs, maybe some lettuce, and possibly tomatoes and peppers. I really miss my big raised garden beds from the old house!

Classically Casual

Veteran

Here in the chilly PNW we grow veggies and berries every summer. It’s all surrounded by a tall deer fence, but the bunnies, slugs, hungry birds and who knows what else make it through sometimes. Our frozen berry and green bean stash last all winter. I love everything about growing food. Sometimes I can donate the excess to the local food bank.

This year it all will be especially welcome. I’ve planted lettuce and broccoli starts so far...

Cardiff girl

Veteran

Ha,you read my mind.We have an allotment which is still open but some have closed in town so ,not trusting how long this state of affairs will last we have dug up some of our lawn to make a small veg patch.We can returf it in the autumn when ,hopefully things will be a bit more normal.We were telling an older relative what we were doing and she said”just like in the war”.I have transplanted some chard plants from the allotment into gaps in our borders and plan to use some of my big flower pots to grow veg in as well.It will be something to do and give us some fresh veg without having to brave the supermarkets.l have got Broad beans ,sugar snap peas ,radishes lettuces ,chillis and padron peppers already up and due to be potted on .l will be sewing other things as it warms up.

nemosmom

Veteran

I was just about to post something about gardening! I haven't grown any veggies since we left California. There, I had all kinds of tomatoes, lettuce, squash, and loads of herbs in a big raised bed...

Now, I have seeds (I couldn't get any starters), but no idea how or when to start them for Chicago weather.

What kind of soil do you all start your seeds in? When do you start them?

Anonymous

We're in the woods too, so never had luck with much except pokeweed and poison ivy! Will still try the milkweed though
Luckily I'm round the corner from farms!

JAileen

Veteran

Nemosmom, I use seed starter mix. I have a bunch of small pots (4”) that I reuse. (One year I gave my neighbor a tomato plant, and she threw out my pot!!!!!) Anyway, I sterilize the pots in a mixture of 10 percent bleach. We plant our tomatoes around Mother’s Day, so I’m a little late starting them. We use Walls o Water, too.

Anonymous

I'll think I'll have to wait another day or two. Out my office window today - that's DD's car slowly being buried by snow. This is a test of character.

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Sal

Veteran

I have a small vege garden. I had to plan as garden stores are all closed right now. The garden centre and paint shop were my panic pre lockdown shopping (and the coffee roaster).

I have lettuce, cauliflower and rocket planted. Lettuce will be ready in one week and I will put in some spinach after that as it will be getting a bit cool.

I also have chilli, oregano, mint, parsley and thyme. The basil was picked last weekend and made into pesto. The chilli has been made into a dressing and soon some chilli jam (tomorrow)

I also have rhubarb, apples, limes, grapefruit. The apples are full season now and I have swapped with neighbours for feijoa. I have been filled with pleasure when they text me pics of their apple creations. I have been making apple sauce and freezing it. Great for winter. I do not spray my apples so they can be a bit mothy but I just cut around that.

Do you know what a feijoa is? I think they are South American but we love them here and so many people have a tree. They don't store well and are a real garden rather than store fruit. I love them - a fresh tangy perfumed taste......I cut them in half and eat with a spoon, add to my cereal, or make a crumble with apple as well.

Apparently also called a pineapple guava.

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Diana

Veteran

I grew tomatoes, herbs, and green beans in pots on my porch last summer, and am definitely going to do so again this year. It’s still too cold here to plant anything outside, but I’ve started some tomatoes from seed indoors.

Kathie

Veteran

We've often done herbs in pots, so will probably do that again. We've had a CSA/vegetable box delivery more years than not, though, so that makes us lazy about planting our own (plus shady lots). I love that so many people are thinking of doing this.

MsMaven

Veteran

I've thought about it. I have photos of me as a toddler in our WWII victory garden and a hazy memory of when we had a big bonfire at the end of it.

Part of our property is on open grasslands and we have many critters visiting. We'd have to build some kind of a pen nothing bigger than a field mouse could get into. Not sure were up for it.

Speaking of herbs, we have a whole hillside of rosemary. I clipped some last night for the chicken DH was cooking--trying a new recipe.

Bonnie

Veteran

I had planned to start a garden this year but we came back from a three week trip in late Feb/early Mar. to a yard full of holes made by ground squirrels. I'm out there every morning with a rake and hoe trying to fill in holes and putting used ground coffee beans in the freshly dug holes with no success. The previous owner left the backyard wild to attract wildlife and the critters have not figured out that things have changed for them and they should move on. Any tips, anyone?

JAileen

Veteran

Bonnie, you need a terrier.

Anonymous

I converted my veggie garden to a flower garden. The payoff on veggies just wasn't worth the labor involved. Too much got eaten by mystery predators. I'm having much better luck with flowers, and we're enjoying the organic veggies from the local market.

Meredith

Veteran

Yes! I always plant flowers and veggies but I have big plans for this year. I have spring, summer, and fall plantings planned out to maximize yield. Right now the starters I purchased from the nursery are really taking off. I planted everything closely so its time to harvest a few plants to make space some space for the greens to mature. I have started about 25 types of vegetable and flower veg seeds that I will transplant later this month. The garden is my happy place and I’m glad no amount of social distancing can get in the way of that!

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Bonnie

Veteran

JAileen: That is a fantastic idea. Can I borrow yours?

JAileen

Veteran

Of course. Mr Skunky likes hunting.

cindysmith

Veteran

Thought about asking my ex for my still boxed up self watering planter on casters. It would grow a few things, maybe some veggies or lettuce. The ex has the stockpile of seeds we had collected, too, and he said I could have some when's I got ready to plant anything.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

We have herbs, rhubarb, artichokes, fennel, peaches, and a few other veggies, but I'm considering adding to this. Maybe not this year, since I'm just getting accommodated to the new climate and space. But we'll see. I love this idea.

April

Veteran

I am enjoying the magic of focusing on vegetables that can be grown from the scraps of the ones you just added to your dinner.

For us, that means there is a "baby bok choy" project going on, as well as a "baby celery" project. Too cold here still to plant them outside but Bodie and I check on these little guys every day.

Happy to elaborate if anyone is interested.

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rachylou

Veteran

Do tell, April! How do you do it?

carter

Veteran

Salad greens seem to be the weakest link in my multi-week shopping, so this week I started regrowing from scraps. (Lots of youtube videos on it.) The tallest romaine was started on March 30. The curly endive and smaller romaines were started April 1. In a couple weeks I should have enough regrowth to harvest. I've also ordered some seeds for Arugula, Cress, and Kale microgreens and Broccoli and Radish sprouts that I'll grow inside. Very quick grow times of 5-10 days. I'll also plant rosemary, basil, cilantro and sage in pots outside.

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Jules

Veteran

My poor neighbour was told she can't go to her allotment garden as it's a parks facility I guess. But it's 18'x36'! Certainly large enough to distance and with clearly marked boundaries already, plus seems like a perfect activity for this time... Hopefully they revisit that decision.
I have little space/sun but I usually keep a small herb garden and my rhubarb is coming up, although it never yields much at all. Last year I bought one of those potted strawberry hanging baskets. I had very low expectations but it was cheap and featured a red pot that I wanted for eventual other use. Anyway, it was initially doing great with many green strawberries growing nicely. Then one night at dinner a family of racoons came by and the bravest little one came forward to eat all the green fruit. I couldn't even be annoyed because she was so daring and cute. The funniest part though was when she came back the next day and was surprised to find the strawberries hadn't magically replenished, lol. I kept the pot and the plants look to be coming back, so maybe another baby raccoon will get lucky this year.

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