A Victory Garden for Earthquake Preparedness

Strawberries on the vine by sigusr0 on Flickr

If you plant a vegetable garden, you will have fresh food for you and your family after an earthquake. During World War 2, families were encouraged to plant a “victory garden”, so they could feed their families and not have to rely on rationing. If you have a place you can plant vegetables and fruit, what better way to make sure you have food after an earthquake? It will take just a few minutes of finding out what grows best where you live, and then a little regular TLC to keep your plants happy.

California has some of the best growing conditions in the country, so growing a successful vegetable garden can be easy.  The idea of a modern victory garden is clearly explained on the site Modern Victory Garden.  There are oodles of DIY gardening resources available on the Internet, so take advantage of them. Sunset Magazine provides a wealth of information about matching plants to climate, establishing a successful garden, and how to solve garden problems.  Renee’s Garden blog has an incredible collection of how-to articles to help any would-be Victory Gardener get started.   Heavy Petal and Urban Garden Solutions, both give great tips on how to grow food in small spaces. Edible Yardworks offers classes and provides helpful information about how to set up your own edible garden.

Your earthquake emergency kit will still need water, a flashlight, first aid, and other post-quake essentials.  You can’t grow flashlights or first aid kits.  But think how pleased you will be if your modern victory garden keeps you flush with fresh food in the aftermath of an earthquake.  No refrigeration needed!

By Elizabeth Rood