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| An Old Man's Garden, Mary Dignam. Painted before 1938 |
Sow the seeds of victory! Plant and raise your own vegetables.
VICTORY GARDEN POSTER
One of the things you learn from watching YouTube videos is that there are many make believe preppers and homesteaders on that platform. The biggest myth they perpetuate is that they make a living by homesteading when the reality is that they make a living from YouTube earnings. Now that YouTube is cutting back on those earnings, I expect to see these fakers start to vanish.
Prior to 2018, I was drinking the Kool-Aid along with everyone else. I dreamed of owning my own homestead with a minimum of 12 acres of land, but I would take 40 acres if I could get it. Those were mighty big ambitions, but I was chomping at the bit to get after it. Then, I had the accident that damaged my brain, took my eyesight, and took my energy. I got back my eyesight, but I never got back my energy. God took a baseball bat to my homesteading ambitions. I am actually grateful for that. People need a dose of humility, and that includes myself.
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| Victory Gardens for Family and Country, Frequent watering of the Victory Garden is Necessary. 1943 |
Mrs. Peasant pointed out to me long before my accident that injury, illness, and old age were the Achilles heel of the modern homestead. What do you do when you get sick? What do you do when you get cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, or MS? What do you do when you are old and tired? Being a man, I put these considerations completely out of my mind. My attitude then was to go big or go home.
Post-accident, I learned the virtues of the humble backyard garden. You don't need 12 acres of land for this or a tractor. There are videos on YouTube of people in their 80s and 90s working their small plots. Those old people have more energy than me. Mrs. Peasant is the primary gardener in our household. That's OK because the backyard garden expands and contracts relative to needs and resources. I am very happy that we chose this modest path. We went small.
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| A Citizen Working on Sunday Morning in his Victory Garden. Oswego, NY 1943 |
I won't say that homesteading is stupid. What I will say is that I don't think homesteaders think it out fully. The reality is that a homestead takes a large investment of time, money, and energy. I have tried to wrap my brain around the economics of homesteading, and I don't get it. For instance, I don't understand how raising chickens saves money on your grocery bill when you have to buy feed for those hens. The same goes for goats, sheep, hogs, and cattle. You basically have to buy groceries to feed to your groceries.
I do not eat meat, dairy, and eggs. Consequently, I don't need to raise animals for me to eat. The backyard garden is for the organic vegetables that cost a fortune in the grocery store. The non-organic vegetables are not as tasty or nutritious as the produce from our garden. Combined with the exercise that we get, the backyard garden has been a winner for us.
I know people who supplement their gardens with meat from hunting and fishing. I can understand the economics of that. These people will kill some deer that will provide a year's worth of meat. They fish the rest of the time. Except for equipment and a hunting/fishing license, this is free food. Plus, hunting and fishing are fun. I think this makes more sense than having livestock you have to feed on a daily basis. I am not into hunting and fishing because of my plant based diet, but I appreciate those who do hunt and fish.
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| Citizen Working on Sunday morning in his Victory Garden Oswego, NY 1943 |
I don't think you need a homestead to feed yourself and your family. Unfortunately, this does not provide enough content for the YouTube audience. I also don't buy into the self-sufficiency myth. If you have to buy feed and fuel for a homestead, you are not self-sufficient. I also think it is a good idea to hang onto that day job even if your YouTube earnings are large. YouTube has proven itself to be an unreliable source of income.
I would urge the Gentle Reader to consider being just a backyard gardener. I think you will find it a better and more economical fit for you and your family. I suggest taking advice and tips from the long tradition of victory gardens from the old days when people supplemented their rations with what they grew and canned at home. These people didn't have 12 acres to plant. Yet, they had a surplus of vegetables from their modest plots. If they could do it, you can do it, too.
Thank you for reading!
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| Dig for Victory, Peter Fraser between 1939-46 |
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