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The Container Victory Garden: A Beginner’s Guide to Growing Your Own Groceries
Whether you have a postage stamp's worth of space or acres to spare, The Container Victory Garden equips you to dig into the joys of container gardening, right where you are.
Imagine this: In the morning, you pluck mint off a plant on your kitchen windowsill herb garden and add it to your tea. A few hours later, you step out onto your patio and collect a handful of lettuce leaves for your lunch salad. Just before dinner, you harvest a few basil leaves and cherry tomatoes for a delicious caprese pasta.
In her trademark warm and informative style, bestselling author and expert gardener Maggie Stuckey shares everything you need to know to succeed with container gardening: planning, gearing up, planting, nurturing, and harvesting.
In The Container Victory Garden, you will find:
a photo index for easy reference while shopping for seeds or transplants
detailed line art drawings that illustrate various techniques and set ups
stories of World War II--era victory gardens and their connection to our gardens today
beautiful full-color paintings of diverse people enjoying their container gardens
This is the promise of container gardening: a fresh bounty of vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers you can enjoy year-round.
Imagine this: In the morning, you pluck mint off a plant on your kitchen windowsill herb garden and add it to your tea. A few hours later, you step out onto your patio and collect a handful of lettuce leaves for your lunch salad. Just before dinner, you harvest a few basil leaves and cherry tomatoes for a delicious caprese pasta.
In her trademark warm and informative style, bestselling author and expert gardener Maggie Stuckey shares everything you need to know to succeed with container gardening: planning, gearing up, planting, nurturing, and harvesting.
In The Container Victory Garden, you will find:
a photo index for easy reference while shopping for seeds or transplants
detailed line art drawings that illustrate various techniques and set ups
stories of World War II--era victory gardens and their connection to our gardens today
beautiful full-color paintings of diverse people enjoying their container gardens
This is the promise of container gardening: a fresh bounty of vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers you can enjoy year-round.
272 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2023
31 people are currently reading
6815 people want to read
About the author
Maggie Stuckey
12 books46 followersHere's my idea of a perfect weekend:
>> Fri nite, sit with a pile of my favorite cookbooks and plan menu for tomorrow night's dinner party.
>> Saturday. In the morning, grocery shopping. Set the table for 7; debate over which dishes to use (OK, I admit it: I have way too many dish sets. I'm a yard-sale junkie.) Out to the garden for flowers (few) and fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, and garlic chives). Spend most of the day cooking and humming. Run to the farmers' market for last-minute extras; find lovely flowers. Indulge in a serene cup of tea. Debate music: Schumann or Nina Simone? Friends are here! We eat, drink, talk and laugh for hours. Guests offer to help clean up; I decline, with thanks.
>> Sunday. Patsy Cline on the stereo. At my leisure, clean up from last night. No one believes me, but I actually prefer to do this myself the next day; it's a bit like enjoying the party all over again. Make a lunch from the leftovers. Stretch out in my reading chair with a John Sandford mystery, or maybe Robert Crais, or maybe William Kent Krueger, or maybe ...
You figured it out: This weekend daydream hold clues to my background and my life. I love gardening, and I love cooking, and I love writing about both of them. To add a few specific biographical details: I grew up mostly in South Carolina (which is where I learned to love vegetable gardens), finished high school and college in Raleigh NC, and now live in Portland Oregon, where I cultivate a kitchen garden on my tiny patio and spend happy hours developing new dishes from the produce.
>> Fri nite, sit with a pile of my favorite cookbooks and plan menu for tomorrow night's dinner party.
>> Saturday. In the morning, grocery shopping. Set the table for 7; debate over which dishes to use (OK, I admit it: I have way too many dish sets. I'm a yard-sale junkie.) Out to the garden for flowers (few) and fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, and garlic chives). Spend most of the day cooking and humming. Run to the farmers' market for last-minute extras; find lovely flowers. Indulge in a serene cup of tea. Debate music: Schumann or Nina Simone? Friends are here! We eat, drink, talk and laugh for hours. Guests offer to help clean up; I decline, with thanks.
>> Sunday. Patsy Cline on the stereo. At my leisure, clean up from last night. No one believes me, but I actually prefer to do this myself the next day; it's a bit like enjoying the party all over again. Make a lunch from the leftovers. Stretch out in my reading chair with a John Sandford mystery, or maybe Robert Crais, or maybe William Kent Krueger, or maybe ...
You figured it out: This weekend daydream hold clues to my background and my life. I love gardening, and I love cooking, and I love writing about both of them. To add a few specific biographical details: I grew up mostly in South Carolina (which is where I learned to love vegetable gardens), finished high school and college in Raleigh NC, and now live in Portland Oregon, where I cultivate a kitchen garden on my tiny patio and spend happy hours developing new dishes from the produce.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
August 1, 2023
I am determined to become a green thumb!
April 8, 2024
Well, I haven't grown anything in a container yet, but the advice given here seems sound. The best part of this book for me is the stories from folks who remember Victory Gardens from WWII years (and some later gardeners). Very enjoyable reading!
April 22, 2023
Thank you to @janiceyangart @harpercollinsfocus and @tlcbooktours for the #gifted copy.
Even if all you have is a postage stamp’s worth of space on a balcony, patio, or front stoop, The Container Victory Garden equips you to dig into the joys of container gardening, right where you are.
In her trademark warm and informative style, bestselling author and expert gardener Maggie Stuckey shares everything you need to know to succeed with container gardening: planning, gearing up, planting, nurturing, and harvesting.
In The Container Victory Garden, you will find:
* detailed line art drawings that illustrate many gardening techniques and set-ups
* first-person stories of World War II Victory Gardens and their inspiration for today’s gardeners
* beautiful full-color paintings of diverse people enjoying their container gardens
Wow, this is an absolutely fascinating concept. Started in WWI to encourage people to grow food in any small space that they had access to, Victory Gardens literally saved people from starvation. Then in 2020, when people were afraid to go out, home gardens flourished again. I do not have a green thumb but I now believe that I too can have my own victory garden. So whether you have the space but too little sun, no yard at all, or soil not conducive to gardening, this book will teach you step by step how to grow your own food. In containers! 🪴🌱
Even if all you have is a postage stamp’s worth of space on a balcony, patio, or front stoop, The Container Victory Garden equips you to dig into the joys of container gardening, right where you are.
In her trademark warm and informative style, bestselling author and expert gardener Maggie Stuckey shares everything you need to know to succeed with container gardening: planning, gearing up, planting, nurturing, and harvesting.
In The Container Victory Garden, you will find:
* detailed line art drawings that illustrate many gardening techniques and set-ups
* first-person stories of World War II Victory Gardens and their inspiration for today’s gardeners
* beautiful full-color paintings of diverse people enjoying their container gardens
Wow, this is an absolutely fascinating concept. Started in WWI to encourage people to grow food in any small space that they had access to, Victory Gardens literally saved people from starvation. Then in 2020, when people were afraid to go out, home gardens flourished again. I do not have a green thumb but I now believe that I too can have my own victory garden. So whether you have the space but too little sun, no yard at all, or soil not conducive to gardening, this book will teach you step by step how to grow your own food. In containers! 🪴🌱
September 27, 2023
Really really informative complete beginner’s guide to container gardening, and is geared towards people living in cities with limited space. What is special about this book is that it was published in 2022 during Covid, and is very recent with lots of recounts from interviewees about how gardening changed for them during quarantine. This book is written for people who decided to pick up gardening during the pandemic.
Also the title mentions victory gardens- the author draws a lot of comparisons between the new wave of Covid gardeners to Americans who started victory gardens during the two world wars. A lot of those people were city folk who also knew nothing about gardening. I thought it was really interesting, how people exactly a hundred years before went through terrifying world shattering events and in response to that started gardening, for mental health and to feed their families. It’s very similar to what I feel like I’m doing now, wanting to grow fresh food on my balcony to enjoy and share.
This book is actually so amazing because I feel like it has to be the first published book I’ve read so far that actually talks about what it was/is like to live during Covid and the pandemic. The hope in it, of the author who was writing it and the people interviewed for it is so moving. I really enjoyed this book, I think I’ll need to purchase a copy for myself. Plus it’s actually really informative in a simple way that anyone can follow along with!!
Also the title mentions victory gardens- the author draws a lot of comparisons between the new wave of Covid gardeners to Americans who started victory gardens during the two world wars. A lot of those people were city folk who also knew nothing about gardening. I thought it was really interesting, how people exactly a hundred years before went through terrifying world shattering events and in response to that started gardening, for mental health and to feed their families. It’s very similar to what I feel like I’m doing now, wanting to grow fresh food on my balcony to enjoy and share.
This book is actually so amazing because I feel like it has to be the first published book I’ve read so far that actually talks about what it was/is like to live during Covid and the pandemic. The hope in it, of the author who was writing it and the people interviewed for it is so moving. I really enjoyed this book, I think I’ll need to purchase a copy for myself. Plus it’s actually really informative in a simple way that anyone can follow along with!!
March 12, 2023
The end of winter always makes me ready to start some seeds and dream of the gardens future bounty. Sometimes I plant things all over our yard and other times I only feel like tending to containers. This book is very inspirational if you have to limit your gardening dreams to a very small area. THE CONTAINER VICTORY GARDEN, A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO GROWING YOUR OWN GROCERIES by Maggie Stuckey will help you grow some food in the tiniest of spaces.
This book includes descriptions of traditional victory gardens, with the how and why they came about. There’s also beautiful illustrations showing families enjoying their plants and each other. It’s full of very informative listings of proven plants perfect for growing in containers. All sorts of plants from vegetables, herbs, and even edible flowers. So many great ideas!!
I hope to do some big scale gardening projects this year but I’ll also add several of these container plants to my porches just because I feel like it. 5 stars!
Thanks so much to NetGalley Harper Celebrate, and Harper Horizon for the opportunity to review this book.
This book includes descriptions of traditional victory gardens, with the how and why they came about. There’s also beautiful illustrations showing families enjoying their plants and each other. It’s full of very informative listings of proven plants perfect for growing in containers. All sorts of plants from vegetables, herbs, and even edible flowers. So many great ideas!!
I hope to do some big scale gardening projects this year but I’ll also add several of these container plants to my porches just because I feel like it. 5 stars!
Thanks so much to NetGalley Harper Celebrate, and Harper Horizon for the opportunity to review this book.
March 7, 2023
I started this read expecting to find a simple gardening companion and instead found an absolute gem of a book. The Container Victory Garden has a little bit of everything! Humor, history, help planning and developing the perfect space, a vivid and detailed wealth of information on the plants that thrive in containers, and an extensive appendix of resources and providers of quality seeds and supplies. This will make a fabulous gift for anyone in your life who loves or is interested in delving into gardening!
February 15, 2023
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
The Container Victory Garden is a beginner friendly guide to growing food and herbs in containers written by Maggie Stuckey. Due out 21st Feb 2023 from HarperCollins on their Harper Horizon imprint, it's 272 pages and will be available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats.
This is an appealing and accessible guide to growing plants and taking some steps toward our own food security and satisfaction with safe, accessible, high quality food which is good for physical and mental health. It's written in simple straightforward language with solid concrete steps on how to get started and how to progress.
The author describes "Victory" gardens from the past and draws parallels to cultural stress/crises (like the pandemic) and how people react by going back to basics and how good for mental and physical health growing a garden can be. Following chapters show the importance of planning, sourcing tools and supplies for the best outcomes, growing, troubleshooting, and specific varieties for success growing vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers.
Specific tips and advice are set apart in the text in color highlighted text boxes. Charts are easy to read and understand. The book is enhanced by clear color photographs as well as appealing pastel/pencil line drawings by Janice Minjin Yang and Lee Johnston.
The appendix includes links and information to a number of retailers with selection of quality seeds for gardeners in North America.
Five stars. This is a very useful, appealing, and well laid out book which has value both for new gardeners as well as more experienced readers.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Container Victory Garden is a beginner friendly guide to growing food and herbs in containers written by Maggie Stuckey. Due out 21st Feb 2023 from HarperCollins on their Harper Horizon imprint, it's 272 pages and will be available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats.
This is an appealing and accessible guide to growing plants and taking some steps toward our own food security and satisfaction with safe, accessible, high quality food which is good for physical and mental health. It's written in simple straightforward language with solid concrete steps on how to get started and how to progress.
The author describes "Victory" gardens from the past and draws parallels to cultural stress/crises (like the pandemic) and how people react by going back to basics and how good for mental and physical health growing a garden can be. Following chapters show the importance of planning, sourcing tools and supplies for the best outcomes, growing, troubleshooting, and specific varieties for success growing vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers.
Specific tips and advice are set apart in the text in color highlighted text boxes. Charts are easy to read and understand. The book is enhanced by clear color photographs as well as appealing pastel/pencil line drawings by Janice Minjin Yang and Lee Johnston.
The appendix includes links and information to a number of retailers with selection of quality seeds for gardeners in North America.
Five stars. This is a very useful, appealing, and well laid out book which has value both for new gardeners as well as more experienced readers.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
February 18, 2023
When I saw the title for this, I was thrilled. A little back story - I have a fairly big obsession with war time Victory gardens (one with Victorian kitchen gardens too) and to find this title, a new title about current day Victory gardening, but with containers, and 😍When my grandfather came home from the South Pacific with the rest of the surviving Marines after the end of WWII, he gardened. He grew grapes for wine, and tomatoes, apples, and so many herbs. He gardened until he couldn’t. Thinking of the time I spent with him in his garden as he would work are some of the sweetest memories I have of my childhood. Growing things has always held immeasurable appeal for me.
I was therefore also delighted to receive early access to this wonderful guide. The layout is very attractive and clean, with occasional interspersed illustrations of people gardening, appealing photos of plants, there are also many fine-line illustrations in black ink of plants and gardening container / setup ideas.
This is a nice introduction to container gardening, as well as offering in depth profiles of the better plants for smaller space gardening, that yield a lot. I also loved the personal stories in here, the ingenious ideas along with memories. There’s a lot in here.
This one is a recommendation if you’re interested in gardening.
eARC kindly provided by Harper Celebrate / Harper Horizon and NetGalley. Opinions shared are my own.
I was therefore also delighted to receive early access to this wonderful guide. The layout is very attractive and clean, with occasional interspersed illustrations of people gardening, appealing photos of plants, there are also many fine-line illustrations in black ink of plants and gardening container / setup ideas.
This is a nice introduction to container gardening, as well as offering in depth profiles of the better plants for smaller space gardening, that yield a lot. I also loved the personal stories in here, the ingenious ideas along with memories. There’s a lot in here.
This one is a recommendation if you’re interested in gardening.
eARC kindly provided by Harper Celebrate / Harper Horizon and NetGalley. Opinions shared are my own.
Read
March 13, 2023Want to grow food in a container? This book is for you!
The Container Victory Garden is a book about growing vegetables, herbs and edible flowers in containers. Containers make it easy to grow food for people with limited space, limited mobility or no gardening experience. I have grown herbs successfully in containers and wanted to start growing some vegetables. In the past I have not had very good luck growing vegetables in containers. I am confident this book will change my success with growing vegetables in containers.
There is tons of information in this book about selecting containers, starting with seeds, recommended tools, options on potting soil, ways to optimize your space, etc. One of the best tips I found was adding water gels to your potting soil so you do not have to water as often. There is a great tip for planting from a six-pack on page 79 I had never heard of before. Buy the book to get the tip, it is a good one.
The rest of the book provides details about growing types of vegetable, herbs and edible flowers. Buy this book and like me, you can have success in container gardening.
The Container Victory Garden is a book about growing vegetables, herbs and edible flowers in containers. Containers make it easy to grow food for people with limited space, limited mobility or no gardening experience. I have grown herbs successfully in containers and wanted to start growing some vegetables. In the past I have not had very good luck growing vegetables in containers. I am confident this book will change my success with growing vegetables in containers.
There is tons of information in this book about selecting containers, starting with seeds, recommended tools, options on potting soil, ways to optimize your space, etc. One of the best tips I found was adding water gels to your potting soil so you do not have to water as often. There is a great tip for planting from a six-pack on page 79 I had never heard of before. Buy the book to get the tip, it is a good one.
The rest of the book provides details about growing types of vegetable, herbs and edible flowers. Buy this book and like me, you can have success in container gardening.
April 24, 2023
I saw this title when entering #goodreadsgiveaways when I just happened to be talking about starting my own garden. I’m so glad I received The Container Victory Garden!
My husband has his own garden space so I wanted to start my own. We are somewhere between container garden and an area with more space. Although, we started our seedlings by time I got around to reading, this book has so many great aspects I can implement still this season and ideas for next!
I really enjoyed learning about victory gardens and all the first hand stories! Maggie, the author, is a fantastic writer and really goes into depth to make sure first time container gardeners feel confident in starting their own gardens. Although the inclusion of the varieties under each plant is super helpful, to me it was overwhelming. Not sure if we’d use any of those sources but I’m sure it is beneficial to other readers!
I highly recommend this book!
My husband has his own garden space so I wanted to start my own. We are somewhere between container garden and an area with more space. Although, we started our seedlings by time I got around to reading, this book has so many great aspects I can implement still this season and ideas for next!
I really enjoyed learning about victory gardens and all the first hand stories! Maggie, the author, is a fantastic writer and really goes into depth to make sure first time container gardeners feel confident in starting their own gardens. Although the inclusion of the varieties under each plant is super helpful, to me it was overwhelming. Not sure if we’d use any of those sources but I’m sure it is beneficial to other readers!
I highly recommend this book!
April 9, 2023
I borrowed this book from the library to get a better idea of container gardens and what all is involved. I've done a bit of vegetable gardening, and am a real wanna be gardener but just have never put the effort into it. This book gave me a better foundational knowledge to work from. It would be a good one to own to refer back to. The writing flowed well, and the victory garden anecdotes added a fun touch.
March 17, 2023
What a readable book! I actually read it cover to cover, which for a gardening book is unusual, at least for me. Even though I consider myself an experienced gardener I found lots of helpful tips, particularly on plant choices. I have already ordered a couple more copies as gifts for friends and family who live in townhouse and love to garden but have limited space.
April 15, 2023
I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
This book is good for beginners. It has both history and updated information about container gardening. The book goes over what plants are best to grow, what containers to use, and when to plant. If you are an absolute beginner, this is a great book.
This book is good for beginners. It has both history and updated information about container gardening. The book goes over what plants are best to grow, what containers to use, and when to plant. If you are an absolute beginner, this is a great book.
August 27, 2024
I love the comparisons this book draws between the victory gardens of the past and the current, pandemic-boosted interest in growing food. It's a good reminder that even if you have garden space, some things just do really well in containers. I also really liked the suggestions on varieties that do well in small spaces. Good resource!
March 15, 2023
I really enjoyed the author’s relaxed and humorous writing style. There’s a tremendous amount of information that should help anyone be successful with container gardening. The personal stories of people who shared their memories of original Victory Gardens were a pleasant bonus..
September 18, 2023
Really a great historical perspective on home gardens and fabulous tips on practical container gardening pretty much anywhere. Even tips on what to plant and varieties that grow best in containers and small spaces!
September 26, 2023
I received two copies of this through a giveaway for Little Free Library stewards. This is a great book for someone who wants to start container gardening. The book focuses on edible plants. I enjoyed learning the history and the potential future of Victory gardens.
June 23, 2024
Well-organized and informative this book is a must-have for new gardeners. There is plenty of information and color pictures of brands of veggies and herbs to buy. The list of websites and stores to purchase what you need is so helpful.
July 6, 2024
This was way more helpful than I thought it would be, and the history of Victory Gardens was so interesting! The only thing missing is local info, which a book like this couldn't provide anyway, but Maggie's super helpful in pointing you towards next steps.
March 21, 2025
This made the list of "gardening books I have read all the way through." I am thankful I gave it a second chance because I did not read it all the way through the first time. It is particularly helpful in giving specific information to those seeking to container garden.
April 9, 2025
An 8hr audio book. The first half of this book is not very fun to listen to if you have common knowledge of gardening, but by the time it starts diving into induvial plants its gets much more useful and fun to listen too.
March 13, 2023
Great information and ideas for growing food in small spaces!
March 23, 2023
Pretty illustrations but no good new information on container gardening.
April 25, 2023
A wonderful welcome tool for those wanting to begin small container gardening. Maggie gave very helpful tips which was easy to follow. Highly recommended.
May 8, 2023
We have a very small patio space but this book gave me hope that we can grow food for ourselves given our small space. The book has a good layout and is an easy read.
February 9, 2024
Definitely a beginner's book, but the introduction information about victory gardens was really interesting. And lots of good tips for container gardening!
February 12, 2024
Great intro to the domain: historical background, people stories, important concepts, shortlists of plants and rules of thumb
Cons: I must plant some peas now
Cons: I must plant some peas now
December 16, 2024
Fabulously informative - I bought a notebook just for ideas that came from this book. Can't wait to start the 2025 garden!
March 8, 2025
A very good resource for anyone wanting to grow food in their yard, in containers, and in a community garden. I would consider this book a must for beginners especially.
April 28, 2025
This is a good book for anyone who is new to growing food in containers. It was a good refresher for me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews