Start your journey toward food security with quality bedding plants from Johansen Landscape & Nursery. Transform your backyard into a sustainable food source, following the tradition of victory gardens that once produced 40% of America’s vegetables.
Food insecurity affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide, with 757 million facing chronic hunger in 2023 alone. In response to growing concerns about food access and availability, many homeowners are turning to a solution that combines self-sufficiency with environmental responsibility: home vegetable gardens. Johansen Landscape & Nursery is helping tackle this issue by providing quality bedding plants that enable homeowners to grow nutritious food right in their own backyards.
The concept of growing your own food for security isn't new—during World War I and II, over 20 million "victory gardens" produced nearly 40% of America's fresh vegetables. Today's home gardens serve a similar purpose, offering a practical solution to modern food security challenges while providing numerous additional benefits.
Food security exists when people have reliable access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs for an active and healthy life. It's not just about having food—it's about having the right kind of food consistently available. When these conditions aren't met, people experience food insecurity, which can be chronic (ongoing inability to consume adequate food) or acute (a sudden threat to lives or livelihoods).
Four critical pillars underpin food security:
The scale of global food insecurity is staggering. According to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, 757 million people faced chronic hunger in 2023. Even more concerning, the World Food Programme estimated that 343 million people were acutely food insecure as of November 2024 across 74 countries where they maintain operations.
These figures represent a moral imperative for action. Food security isn't merely a humanitarian concern; it's an investment in global stability. Where hunger persists, displacement and instability often follow, creating ripple effects throughout regions and beyond.
Three primary factors drive food insecurity worldwide:
These factors rarely operate in isolation—they interconnect and compound one another's effects, creating complex food security challenges that require multifaceted solutions.
Home-grown vegetables typically contain more nutrients than their store-bought counterparts. Modern agricultural methods have stripped many nutrients from commercial soils, resulting in produce with diminished nutritional value. When you grow vegetables in properly maintained soil, they retain more vitamins and minerals essential for health.
The journey from garden to table is measured in minutes rather than days or weeks. This minimal time between harvesting and consumption preserves nutritional content that would otherwise degrade during lengthy shipping and storage processes.
Gardening naturally gets you outside in the sunshine, helping your body produce vitamin D. This essential nutrient supports immune function, bone health, and mood regulation. Even spending just 15-30 minutes tending your garden several times a week provides significant vitamin D benefits, particularly during spring and summer months when sun exposure is more consistent.
Working in a garden is surprisingly effective exercise. Digging, planting, weeding, and harvesting all require physical effort that builds strength, improves flexibility, and enhances motor skills. The consistent activity involved in maintaining a vegetable garden provides regular, moderate exercise that supports cardiovascular health without feeling like a workout.
Beyond the physical benefits, gardening has remarkable effects on mental well-being. The focused attention required reduces stress, anxiety, and depression. Many gardeners describe the activity as meditative and calming, providing a welcome break from digital screens and indoor environments.
With food prices rising, a productive home vegetable garden generates substantial savings. A well-planned garden can yield hundreds of dollars worth of produce for the cost of seeds, soil, and basic supplies. Certain high-value crops offer particularly good returns:
The savings extend beyond the growing season when you preserve your harvest through freezing, canning, or dehydrating.
Growing food at home dramatically reduces the environmental footprint of your diet. Commercial agriculture involves significant fossil fuel use for production, processing, and transportation. By growing food in your backyard, you eliminate transportation emissions and packaging waste while increasing biodiversity in your immediate environment.
Successful vegetable gardens require plenty of sunlight, at least 6-8 hours daily for most crops. When choosing your garden location, observe how sunlight moves across your property throughout the day. Consider:
Raised bed gardens offer excellent drainage, prevent soil compaction, and can be filled with high-quality soil regardless of what's naturally in your yard. A standard size of 4 feet wide by 8 feet long works well for most spaces and keeps all plants within reach without stepping on the soil.
Container gardening provides flexibility for small spaces like balconies, patios, or decks. Five-gallon buckets, window boxes, and purpose-built planters all work well for different crops. The key is ensuring adequate drainage and using quality potting mix rather than garden soil.
For first-time gardeners, starting small is crucial. Begin with one raised bed or a few containers to gain experience with regular garden maintenance before expanding.
Understanding your local growing season is essential for productive food gardening. Research your area's frost dates and hardiness zone to determine when to plant different crops:
The victory gardens of World War I and II weren't just patriotic symbols—they were crucial food security measures that produced nearly 40% of the nation's vegetables. These gardens sprang up in private yards, public parks, and even rooftops, creating a nationwide movement of self-sufficiency.
Today's home food gardens serve a similar purpose, though the threats we face are different. Rather than wartime supply disruptions, we're confronting climate change, depleted soil quality, and increasingly volatile food systems. Growing even a portion of your own food builds resilience against these challenges while reconnecting people with the source of their nutrition.
By starting your own garden with quality bedding plants, you're joining a growing movement that's reshaping our relationship with food one backyard at a time. Whether your garden is a few containers on an apartment balcony or a network of raised beds in a suburban yard, you're taking a meaningful step toward greater self-reliance and food security.
When you're ready to establish your own productive home garden, Johansen Landscape & Nursery provides the quality bedding plants and expert guidance you need to succeed in growing your way to better food security.
