UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — During the early to mid-1900s, it was commonplace for families to have a garden in their backyard, not just as a means to grow their food, but also to show their patriotism by providing their excess harvest to war efforts.
In the postwar era, interest in these “Victory Gardens” waned as life returned to normal and the food supply strengthened. However, home gardening is enjoying a resurgence of late — especially in response to the coronavirus pandemic — and the Penn State Extension Master Gardeners are wasting no time in nurturing its comeback.
“The trend to grow your own food has had an uptick in recent years but has taken off during this time of COVID-19,” said Valerie Sesler, area Master Gardener coordinator. “There are many reasons why people want to grow their food, including the desire to have high-quality produce that is as free of pesticides as possible. Most recently, though, people are at home and are looking for meaningful things to do with their time.”
Sesler explained that during World War I, Victory Gardens originated when farmers were recruited into military service, thereby causing a severe food shortage. These gardens reemerged during World War II for the same reasons. “In 1943, almost 40% of the fresh fruits and vegetables consumed in the U.S. were grown in home gardens,” she said.
When stay-at-home orders were put in place in Pennsylvania in March, the Master Gardeners suspected there would be a renewed interest in information about home gardens — vegetable gardens, in particular — and the “Victory Garden Reinvented” webinar series was born.
The 10-session series began in April but can be viewed at any time by visiting the Penn State Extension website at https://extension.psu.edu/victory-garden-reinvented-series. The webinars cover the basics of home vegetable gardening, as well as newer growing methods including no-till gardening, integrated pest management, the use of cover crops and row covers, and container gardening.