September 2022: Reimagining the Potential of Victory Gardens!

Chun Sim and her husband, Seang Sameth, worked as migrant farmers in Thailand. Along with being separated from family, the work was physically exhausting and low paying.

After returning to Cambodia, the couple became hooked on victory gardening in 2019. Growing without chemicals appealed to them and they came to love experimenting with victory gardening’s myriad of techniques. A visit to their garden astonishes anyone who sees it.

While the size of their small plot remains unchanged, Sim and Sameth have expanded upwards to make use of vertical space with poles, ropes, and hundreds of plastic bottles. Dozens of containers allow them to conserve water and cultivate various vegetables with different growing needs. Nets protect plants from hard rain and hot sun.

Earning ~$100 a month by selling what they don’t eat or give to friends and family, the couple are saving more money than ever before. Because of their garden, Sim and Sameth also can remain close to family and engage in work that is safe, rewarding, and reliable.

Sim produces more in her small space by vertical gardening. This strategy includes container gardens that conserve water, provide different soils for different plants, and are resilient from heat waves, droughts, and floods.