Victory Garden Project
& Demonstration Garden
A “Victory Garden,” or a small-scale garden, turns a patch of dirt, raised bed, or container into a powerhouse of health and flavor. By growing your own vegetables and herbs, you gain instant access to produce that is significantly more nutrient-dense and flavorful than store-bought options.
History of Victory Gardens
Victory gardens (originally "war gardens") were home, school, and community vegetable gardens planted during World War I and World War II to ensure an adequate food supply for civilians and troops. Home gardens helped by reducing the need for trucking food so resources like fuel and tires could be redirected to the war effort. Also, large agricultural operations could be refocused toward military provisions.
​
In 1943, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt famously planted a victory garden on the White House lawn to encourage national participation.
​
By 1944, these gardens produced an estimated 40% of all fresh vegetables in the United States.
Victory Gardens Today
Today, the movement has seen a resurgence focused on food security, sustainability, and mental health. In fact, since the recent pandemic, the focus on home gardening has increased significantly.
​
Modern gardens help reduce "food miles," save money on groceries, and provide a low-impact form of exercise.
Our "Victory Garden" Project & Demonstration Garden
Home gardening is more than a passion; it can be a powerful tool for building healthier families. Studies show that growing vegetables at home can lead to improved nutrition, encourage physical activity, and support emotional well-being.​ Beyond the overall health benefits, gardening together can strengthen family bonds and help ease the financial strain of food expenses. No matter how big or small, a home garden can have a lasting and meaningful impact on your family’s health.
​
To support our ongoing mission of promoting gardening by focusing on sound, research-based practices, we have initiated our "Victory Garden" project to help families learn more about growing their own vegetables and herbs.
Our demonstration garden is located within the Sandhill Children's Garden on the Clemson University Research & Education facility across from the Sandhill Shopping Center on Clemson Road in Columbia, SC.
​
Here you will see the use of the four-square small garden and raised bed gardening.
​
Small-scale gardening consists of a few simple steps. Following are helpful links for you to start your small "Victory Garden" in your own backyard.
5 Steps to Create Your Own Garden
1. Build a raised bed or choose an appropriate container
Choose a location that gets between 6-8 hours per day of direct sun if the plants you're planning to grow require full sun. Simple, rectangular raised bed designs are the most common and inexpensive to build, but intricate and creative shapes can also be designed.
If you do not have space for a raised bed garden, consider raising fresh, nutritious, homegrown vegetables in containers. A windowsill, patio, balcony or doorstep can provide sufficient space for a productive container garden. Just make sure to choose a container large enough to hold your plants when they are full-size.
2. Fill your bed or container with the appropriate growing medium
Sheet composting or lasagna gardening works well in raised beds. You can start with a layer of cardboard directly on the ground under raised beds to smother weeds and encourage microbial soil activity. Add layers of carbon and nitrogen rich sources inside the bed.
Fill containers with lightweight potting mix that allows for good drainage and aeration. Never use native soil in containers. It is heavy, drains poorly, and compacts in the container, destroying critical pore space for plant roots.
3. Plan your garden by selecting the right plants and planting at the proper time
Plan your garden on paper first by drawing a design that shows the arrangement and spacing of your crops. Ensure that you allow space for your full-size plants.
Select and organize your plants by type, their growth habits, and the proper planting time (cool-season or warm-season), and length of growing period.
If planting a vegetable that climbs, place a trellis at the north side of the raised bed and orient those crops in that location. ​​​
4. Maintain your garden by mulching, fertilizing and watering
Mulching is one of the most important ways to maintain healthy plants and cut down on weeds. Organic mulches can improve the soil structure.
If you use a soil mix with fertilizer added, then your plants will have enough nutrients for eight to 10 weeks. If plants are grown longer than this, add a water-soluble fertilizer at the recommended rate every 2-3 weeks.
Irrigate as needed, and use a rain gauge to monitor rainfall. Pay particular attention to watering container plants. Because the volume of soil is relatively small, containers can dry out very quickly, especially on a concrete patio in full sun.​​
5. Harvest and enjoy your vegetables and herbs
Enjoy the fresh foods from your garden by harvesting at the right time. Most vegetables attain their best eating quality when allowed to ripen on the plant, but often this peak quality is reached before the vegetable is fully mature (i.e., cucumbers, squash, okra, sweet corn, peas, and beans).
​
Almost all vegetables are best when harvested early in the morning. Overnight, vegetables regain moisture that they lost during the day, and starches formed during the day may be converted to sugars during the evening. These traits make morning-harvested produce crisper, juicier, and sweeter.
Eat or preserve your harvest through canning, drying, or freezing.​​