My experience with victory gardens has been incredibly rewarding. It has been a journey of recycling, rebirth, and reclamation.
I'm not engaged in tending a victory garden out of anachronism, but I admit there is something nostalgic about the propaganda of WWII encouraging citizen farmers.
Why have we come to waste so much? http://trumanlibrary.org/publicpapers/viewpapers.php?pid=56
How will we transcend the technological revolution in a post-petroleum era? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Revolution
Seeds are light, when we share seeds with each other, transportation is possible by foot or on two wheels.
If each household could grow food enough to sustain itself, I think that would change our whole environmental situation.
People's main complaint is that it's too much work. If automation saved us in the Green Revolution, why couldn't we employ it in the home?
Who will write the iPhone app for controlling the sprinklers or the angle of the solar panels? If there's not a solar panel on your roof, why not grow something?
At the moment, I've covered most of the surfaces in our front yard. The wall in our backyard is also covered, and I have radish and tomato climbing the trees.
I've been inspired by Michelle Obama despite Rhubarbgate; the Let's Move campaign site provides a brief history. http://www.letsmove.gov/gardening-guide
Most importantly, my Victory Gardens don't have to be on TV nor photographed for gourmet food magazines. What I've learned is of great value.
I've seen plants in all stages of their development, I've mourned their diseases and pests, all without using pesticides or insecticides.
I do use fertilizer: Miracle Gro Water Soluble Tomato Plant Food. Total nitrogen: 1.4% ammoniacal nitrogen, 14% urea nitrogen, 2.6% nitrate nitrogen. 18% available phosphate (P2O5). 21% soluble potash (K2O). Micronutrients including: magnesium (0.5%), copper (0.05%), iron (0.1%), manganese (0.05%), and zinc (0.05%). These elements and compounds (ammonium sulfate, potassium nitrate, urea, potassium phosphate, magnesium sulfate, copper sulfate, iron EDTA, manganese EDTA, and zinc sulfate) are the building blocks of the molecules plants make by converting the sun's energy into chemical potential energy and mechanical energy. If you've never seen a plant undergoing nutation, get theyself to http://www.youtube.com/user/Learjet15 where you can find time-lapse videos of a variety of seedlings.