Victory Gardens – Are They The Post COVID-19 Eagle Mountain Answer?

COVID-19 has had a huge impact on us all. Besides the real fear that high risk loved ones could catch the virus and be numbered among its casualties, everyone has felt the impact it has had on the ability to get food from local markets. Prior to the Social Distancing orders around the globe, there was a run on the markets. Toilet Paper, as well as most daily used food, became scarce. This problem is going to be exacerbated in the future because of the lack of workforce and the hole supply has left in the supply chain. This could not come at a worse time. The United Nations in a recent report is saying that we are already headed to a Food Scarcity event. The effects of the COVID-19 may only increase that problem. “Urban expansion is projected to lead to conversion of cropland leading to losses in food production (high confidence). This can result in additional risks to the food system. Strategies for reducing these impacts can include urban and peri-urban food production and management of urban expansion, as well as urban green infrastructure that can reduce climate risks in cities” [Special Report: Special Report on Climate Change and Land]. Eagle Mountain has a lot of land that has is currently not developed. It is the fifth-largest city in Utah per area. The four with the areas bigger than Eagle Mountain are; Salt Lake City, St. George, Provo, and Hurricane. [Source] Eagle Mountain has a history of being able to produce large amounts of food, using dry farming methods. The Ogden Standard on May 31, 1909, ran an article about dry farming in the Cedar Valley. The article was titled, “Dry Farming Project a Success – George Howe, of Salt Lake, Brings a Glowing Reports.” The article states, “Much had been said as to the feasibility of dry farming and the obtaining of water in arid regions.” As a result, the state appropriated $10,000 to be used as well as one hundred thousand acres of state land. A well was drilled for the project. “One of the first movements was the drilling of an artesian well at a point about the middle of the valley, which is about nine miles south of Fairfield and twenty-five miles southwest of Lehi, Utah. The well had to be sunk 665 feet before water was reached but their efforts were well rewarded, the water rising to within 200 feet of the surface of the well.” The well was used to fill a 3,200-gallon water tank at a rate of 20 gallons a minute. They then plowed the 100,000 acres 11 inches down at a rate of 18 acres per day. “The land is extremely rich and is expected to yield large returns. At one time in the early days, the valley was a veritable meadow, where grass could be mowed and made into hay.” Mr. Howe was a member of the Davis-Howe Foundry company of Salt Lake at the time. The project was not as profitable or as favorable as expected. A second article published a year later in the Carbon County News (3 Jun 2019) did a follow up on the project. In the article titled, “Dry Farm Success Near Camp Floyd – Company Has Learned How, After Two or Three Failures — Wheat Now looks Fine.” The article states, “everything is going right and the prospects are that our 250 acres will average 20 to 30 bu to the acre this season. That will total between 6,000 and 7,000 bushels. And this too, in an exceptionally dry season with a deficiency rainfall of 3.29 inches.” The company stated that they will alternate each year, “we are about as well assured of success as if we had an ample irrigation stream at our beck and call” In September 1911 The Cedar Valley Development Company was formed by Lehi and American Fork interests. The purpose was to raise grain on land which had previously been considered worthless except for grazing. [Lehi Banner, 6 Sept 1911] During World War I Dry Farming was implemented and used in the Cedar Valley. The main crop at this time was Turkey Red Wheat (hard wheat), and som safflower. The process also continued during the World War II era, but a greater variety of crops were grown. One of Lehi’s most noted landmarks and buildings is the Lehi Roller Mills. It has been noted in the book, “Lehi – Portraits of an American Town” by Richard S. Van Wagoner the success of the mills were due to dry farming in the Cedar Valley. “The long-term prosperity of the mill has largely been linked to the success of the dry farm wheat raised in Cedar Valley.” The book continues, “The demand for Lehi flour continued. In just on month (November 1925) the Lehi Roller Mills took orders for eighteen carloads of flour from bakeries and dealers in Salt Lake City and California.” Most individuals may not be able to produce wheat on their property, but there are things people can do to be more self-reliant and to prepare for a worsening food shortage. During the first World Wars (I and II) residents in Britain and in the United States planted what is now called a victory gardens. Because a lot of the farmers and farmhands were off fighting in the war a food shortage in a lot of areas in the world was created. Not much different than what is happening now with the quarantine. Workers are unable to go to work and help keep the supply of food coming. A lot of the small businesses that help support the flow of food in the United States will possibly shutter their doors due to financial crisis. The May 1942 issue of Popular Mechanics ran an article on Victory Gardens. The article titled “18,000,000 Gardens for Victory” has some very good information in it. The article starts out by saying:

Two years ago the home gardener leaned on his hoe and said: “It’s a hobby” Last year he surveyed his first Victory Garden with pride and said: “It’s patriotic.” This year he is in deadly earnest when he looks up from his planting and remarks: “It’s a necessity.”

“The National Garden Bureau, which is co-operating in the Victory Garden campaign along with thousands of garden clubs, advises the home gardener to bear in mind the necessity of an all-year yield when he is planning his garden. This means a surplus for canning to carry the family through the winter when the grocery stores shelves will have but a sparse supply of rationed canned goods.” The National Garden Bureau is still alive and well, and is still suggesting we start victory gardens. They have suggestions for what they are calling victory gardens V 2.0. You can find more details on their website: https://ngb.org/ I have summarized a few key points below. They list “Easy steps for a successful Victory Garden 2.0…” Easy steps for a successful Victory Garden 2.0…

(with recommendations from the 1943 Victory Garden Manual by James Burdett, adapted for today’s world.) 1. Know your growing zone! 2. Make a list of the items your family enjoys eating. 3. Decide which of these plants you will grow from seed or buy as transplants. 4. Plan your garden space (in-ground, raised beds, containers) accordingly. 5. Know your soil or buy good quality gardening mixes 6. Follow suggested sowing and planting dates. 7. Want to get your garden started with starter plants? 8. Start Composting 9. Don’t forget to plan for pollinator-friendly flowers 10. Learn more from the additional resources below…

The Victory Garden Leaders Handbook gives us a little more encouragement to start our own Victory Garden. It was written by the United States Department of Agriculture. “As a nation, we have always taken food pretty much for granted. Not the farmers of course. Food is the stuff life is made of, to a farmer. But the rest of us haven’t always understood that. We have always had the idea in mind that there was plenty of food if we just had the money to buy it. Now we are learning that a nation or a group of nations is no stronger than its food supply. We have stopped taking food for granted.” The entire pamphlet is included here. [pdf-embedder url=”https://cedarvalleysentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/VictoryGardenLeadersHandbook.pdf”] Eagle Mountain has a rich history of being able to grow food with little to no water. With our current technology and available land, we should be able to create our own Victory Gardens and produce food for our families and neighbors to help with any food shortage that may be on the horizon.