Looking for a last minute children's activity for your VE Day event? Or something simple for your family to create together to mark this year's 80th anniversary? Why not make your own mini Dig for Victory Garden.
Ideal to make with large groups or individuals, this eco-friendly activity invites all ages to grow their own food, & explore why it was so important to do so during the war. Find out how we made our gardens & what we planted in them here.
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The Dig for Victory campaign was a vital part of the war effort, enabling many to provide additional food to their weekly rations. Growing your own produce during the war, not only provided fresh healthy food to eat, it also helped reduce food waste, & freed up space on shipping to carry munitions & materials for the armed forces.
This simple gardening activity not only celebrates the Dig for Victory campaign, but remembers & gives thanks to all those who played their part in the war effort.
In the spirit of wartime 'Make Do & Mend' we chose to upcycle an egg box to create our mini Dig for Victory Garden.
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Make a Dig for Victory Garden
You'll need:
An egg box + Peat free compost + Seeds (veg/salad/herb) or seedlings + lollysticks + strips of red, white & blue paper + our free printables
How to make:
:: Start by making the bunting for your garden by cutting triangles from the coloured strips of paper. Glue the edges together to create your red, white & blue bunting. Attach the ends to two lolly sticks.
:: To make the mini Dig for Victory signs for your garden, cut out the signs from our free printable here - Dig for Victory Printable. Carefully snap a lolly stick in half & glue your signs to the sticks.
:: To create the base for your Dig for Victory Garden, cut the tops off the inner sections of the egg box & push the cardboard down to create a flat layer for your garden.
:: Add your compost, making sure there is plenty for the amount of seeds you wish to sow.
:: Sow your chosen seeds or seedlings & sprinkle with water.
:: Add your bunting by pushing the lolly sticks into the sides of your garden.
:: Finish your garden by adding your mini Dig for Victory Signs to the compost.
Grow your own mico greens
If you wish to 'dig' veggies straight from the garden you've just created, then mico greens are perfect for this. Sow cress, mustard, kale, radishes, pea shoots, or broccoli & simply harvest as the seedlings appear.
Grow your own vegetables
Alternatively, you could grow much bigger vegetables in your egg box garden by planting your entire Dig for Victory Garden (including the egg box) straight into a deep planter or the ground once your seedlings are big enough to plant outside. The cardboard will soon break down into the soil & your plants will grow larger & stronger. Perfect!
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Dig for Victory Garden in a foil dish
Planning to make these with a large number of children? Foil dishes are a neat alternative to egg boxes.
Simply add a few drainage holes to the base before adding your compost & planting your seeds or seedlings. If children are taking their Dig for Victory Gardens home from your event, these foil dishes are a more secure way of transporting their creations. The dishes can be reused to plant more plants in the future too!
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Simple Dig for Victory Garden in a paper cup
Looking for an even simpler way to create a Dig for Victory Garden? Paper cups are the answer. Seeds, seedlings or herbs can easily be planted in these, & if you use compostable biodegradable cups these can be planted straight into the ground just like the egg box gardens. To finish off your paper cup garden add your bunting, one of our Dig for Victory signs, & a Dig For Victory label around the outside of the cup. Free labels & signs can be found here: Dig for Victory Printable
This fun gardening activity for children not only encourages them to plant grow their own food, but also reminds them of one of the many ways everybody had a part to play in the war effort.
To extend the activity you might like to look at the popular vegetables or fruit people grew, or look up some old wartime recipes to explore. Carrot biscuits are particularly yummy!
If you have a large outdoor space near your school or church, you could even create a Dig for Victory Garden & invite school children & local residents to care for it as a collaborative project. Or if you have limited space, why not have a large planter & grow a variety of herbs that your local community could use.
Whichever Dig for Victory Garden you chose to plant, I hope it blooms with delicious fresh produce to share & enjoy over the next few months.