Ukraine Survival Growing

Looking at a growing plan from modern Ukraine that reminds me of the British wartime Dig for Victory plan, which helped people feed themselves and supplement their rations with wholesome vegetables.

I was sent a growing plan from a Ukrainian magazine published in May 2022. Basically the Ukrainian modern version of the British Dig for Victory plan in World War Two. The online magazine is based in, I think, the town of Ternopil. Ternopil is a county town in Western Ukraine and around the same size as Portsmouth or Luton.

There seemed to be comparisons between seed and plant prices in different shops. Online translations still are not perfect, so a bit of interpretation (guesswork) was called for. The growing plan is easily understood to be what it is even without translation, although identifying many of the vegetables is a bit difficult.

Original Image & Articles, See page 18

Looking Back to Dig for Victory

Whilst it is reminiscent of the British Dig for Victory, it’s worth keeping in mind that there are more differences than similarities between wartime Britain and wartime Ukraine.

Although the populations of modern Ukraine and wartime Britain are actually quite similar, Ukraine is much larger than the UK. Ukraine’s total land area is roughly 224 thousand square miles against the UK’s 93 thousand square miles. So Ukraine is nearly two and a half times larger than the UK. That makes Ukraine’s population density of 169 people per square mile far less than the UK’s wartime population density of around 473 people per square mile.

Britain was, Before, after and during the war a net importer of food. Britain is an island and over half of our food was shipped in from abroad. The Germans, of course, were attempting to cut the country off from those supplies with their U-Boats.

In addition, the British government wanted to use as much of that shipping as possible, which was under strong pressure, to import war materials. Accordingly, the government instigated the Dig for Victory campaign to encourage and assist the population in growing their own food to supplement their rations.

In contrast, Ukraine is a net exporter of food. It has a land border with a number of sympathetic countries through which food supplies can be imported. Poland being the most obvious but also Romania, Slovakia and Hungary.

Food Insecurity in Ukraine

Despite this, according to the World Food Programme, one third of the Ukrainian population in frontline regions struggle to find enough to eat. Quite why Ukraine hasn’t put mechanisms in place to ensure all the population have enough affordable food, I don’t know. I suspect their history, being an ex-soviet state, has a lot to do with it.

Anyway, it’s safe to say that, outside of the urban areas, a Ukrainian will have more land – larger gardens – than British people, available to grow their own. This is backed up from the scenes on the news from Ukrainian villages of houses with large, by British standards, plots.

Soil

Much of Ukraine’s farmland is highly fertile: a significant fraction is covered by fertile “chernozem” soils (rich, humus-rich black earth). It develops in grasslands with cold winters and hot summers, particularly in Eastern Europe and North America, which are considered among the best in the world. Its high moisture-retention capacity and natural fertility make it one of the most productive soils for agriculture in the world.

Britain has a huge range of soils, nothing as good as chernozem though. Growing anything in good soil is easier than in poor.

Climate

Ukraine has a predominantly continental climate, very different climate to Britain’s temperate maritime climate. Ukraine generally enjoys hotter and sunnier summers but much colder and snowier winters. So the growing season in Ukraine is more defined and limited than Britain’s.

Diet

What people eat is obviously influenced by what’s available, basically what can be grown or obtained easily. Whilst the Ukrainian diet isn’t that much different to the British diet, there are some differences, as much cultural preference as anything.

The Ukrainian Growing Plan

Area

The first thing I noticed, after the image was translated, was the amount of land. 30 x 20 gives 600 square metres. British plans were based on a nominal plot of 10 poles, 250 square metres. Both aimed to provide the annual vegetables for a family.

Perhaps the time limits of the Ukrainian growing season mean more space is needed, so as to produce the quantity of food required.

There is no mention of follow on cropping or intercropping on the Ukrainian plan. Both increase the yield from the land. But, as I’ve said, they have more land per person to play with.

Crops

Potatoes

What immediately strikes me is the amount of space given over to potatoes, 308 M2. Roughly half the plot. British plans use about 27 M2, just over a tenth of the plot. Whilst Ukraine does not have rationing, it apparently has a high level of food insecurity due primarily to disrupted supply chains and the economic disruption caused by the war.

So the economic effects of the war – increased prices and reduced incomes in many cases – means home growing is an economic necessity for many. In wartime Britain, prices were rigidly controlled on staple foods, so home growing was more a way of supplementing and avoiding long queues for foodstuffs not on the ration.

Also, bread was never rationed during the war, so an additional calorie source was always available. There actually were those in Britain who felt that potatoes should be dropped from the dig for victory plans. Their reasoning was that potatoes were British produced and the farmers could do a better job producing a volume crop than home growers.

Lawrence D. Hills produced a growing for survival leaflet in the 1970s or 80s where he assigned half the plot to potatoes. Not ideal for a sustainable rotation, but in an emergency the aim is to survive the immediate crisis.

Potatoes are a calorie dense vegetable, that can be easily stored without processing or needing special conditions beyond a cool, dark place. Add in that they’re one of the most versatile of vegetables, and they’re a perfect crop for uncertain times.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes just about appear on the British plan, but Ukraine’s plan gives over 58 M2 to them. However, tomatoes were discussed in more detail in the monthly Dig for Victory leaflets, as they added welcome variety to the diet. But, very much a side crop for some spare space. Growing tomatoes outside in the variable British climate has never been a sure thing, even in sheltered spots. In WW2 greenhouses were nowhere near as affordable as they are today and glass doesn’t last long in a Blitz.
On the other hand, Ukraine’s hot summers are near ideal for tomatoes, hence their inclusion in the plan. Tomatoes bottle (canning for US readers) really well, and home preserving is common in rural areas.

Aubergines and Peppers

Both aubergines and peppers are really greenhouse crops in Britain and just don’t figure in British wartime plans.

Cucumbers

Outdoor cucumbers can do well in Britain’s climate but a few plants are more than enough for the average family. Ukraine’s plan gives over 17 M2 to cucumbers, which I found surprising. They’re not exactly calorie dense with roughly 15 calories per 100g, a fifth of that in potatoes.

Full List of Vegetables in Ukrainian Growing Plan & Area Allocated

• 308 M2 Potatoes
• 23 M2 Bulb Onion
• 7 M2 Green (Spring) Onions
• 35 M2 White-headed cabbage
• 10 M2 Cauliflower
• 18 M2 Carrot
• 58 M2 Tomatoes
• 17 M2 Cucumber
• 16 M2 Table beet
• 3 M2 Garlic
• 5 M2 Zucchini and squash
• 8 M2 Radish
• 8 M2 Pepper
• 7 M2 Eggplant
• 13 M2 Parsley, dill
• 14 M2 Legumes (beans, peas, chickpeas)
• 4 M2 Lettuce, spinach, sorrel

Vegetables Listed in British Growing Plan

I’ve not assigned space to the crops in the British growing plan as this was complicated by intercropping and, of course, the British plan is based on 250 M2 However, the British plan did allocate about 55 M2 to potatoes, which is roughly a sixth of area devoted to potatoes in the Ukrainian plan.

• Tomatoes
• Marrow
• Radish
• Parsley
• Dwarf Peas
• Spinach
• Leeks
• Dwarf Beans
• Bulb Onions
• Spring Cabbage
• Shallots
• Broad Beans
• Winter Lettuce
• Summer Lettuce
• Runner Beans
• Parsnips
• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Turnips
• Spinach Beet
• Winter Cabbage
• Savoy Cabbage
• Brussels Sprouts
• Sprouting Broccoli
• Kale
• Swedes
• Globe Beet

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Difference in Crops Grown

I realise that the climate differences will stop Ukrainians from growing some of the ‘standard’ crops we grow in the UK. Having said that, it might be well worth their while to consider

The Ukrainian plan doesn’t have Savoys, Brussels Sprouts, Sprouting Broccoli or Kale. Possibly that’s due to the Ukrainian climate not being suitable for them, although I’d have thought they’d be growable.

I think the Ukrainians are definitely missing a trick with leeks. Perhaps the cold winter weather would make the usual British varieties a poor choice, but there are some excellent varieties like Bulgarian Giant that are suitable for Ukraine’s climate. Versatile and easy to grow, surely worth the space.

Probably the summers are too hot for Swedes, but turnips are grown successfully in Russia and Poland so they should work in the west of Ukraine.

One highly productive crop, certainly in terms of yield for space, that may be grown in Ukraine but isn’t specifically mentioned, is the runner bean. Runners are grown successfully in Poland and the climate of Western Ukraine, at least, is very similar to Poland. Runner beans can be simply stored by salting, useful when power for refrigeration may not be available.

Any Ukrainians?

I’m loath to draw conclusions when I have no real knowledge or experience of Ukraine, apart from what appears on the news and online. It does seem to me that this Ukrainian plan is very generous with space and low on variety. Pretty unsophisticated compared to the British wartime plan. But, as I say, I lack the background information to properly judge.

I’d love to hear from any Ukrainians – especially if they think I’ve got something wrong! Hopefully, this awful war will end soon and Ukraine can rebuild and return to normal, making survival growing redundant.