Victory Garden

V is for Victory Garden

By Barbara Fix, Researcher & Writer for Lipscomb Enterprises Inc.

It’s time for a victory garden folks! That’s what families did both in World War 1 and World war 11. In fact, Victory Gardens were also called “War Gardens” which stemmed from an effort to relieve the burden of public demand for fresh fruits and vegetables while our men were off fighting the war. At that time, gas consumption had to be conserved; therefore having heirloom vegetables, herbs and fruit nearby was an important benefit.

So, how did they do it?

Well, many had a back yard, so all that was left to do was prepare the soil and  plant heirloom vegetable, herb, and fruit seeds. For those without a yard, space was provided for Victory Gardens  at public parks and undeveloped plots of land. Even apartment rooftops were pressed into service to grow food.

Eventually, 20 million Americans were busy growing Victory Gardens to help in the war effort. The success of the campaign can be seen in the numbers: by 1943, one-third of all fruits and vegetables consumed in America were grown in Victory Gardens that were being tended by patriotic Americans.

Historians believe the Victory Garden’s success can be attributed to allowing everyone to be a part of the war effort. It brought neighbors and families together as they worked side-by-side to grow their own food—and make no mistake, canned goods had to be saved for our soldiers, gas was in short supply, and commercial growing had slowed as many farmers were busy fighting overseas. To survive, households had to grow their veggies and fruits!