History of Community and Victory Gardens
The Victory Garden movement has an historical antecedent that far predates the World War 2 Victory Gardeners. More than 350 years ago, in April 1649, a group of English peasants known as the Diggers assembled in Surrey and began to cultivate the common land, which belonged to the King.
Eventually, lynch mobs of landowners drove the Diggers away but not before they inspired a revolutionary new attitude towards food distribution. Today, a British group called The Land is Ours carries on the tradition of the Diggers.
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Modern community gardens have their roots in Historic Bethabara Park in Winston-Salem, the site of the first Moravian settlement in North Carolina and the oldest community garden in the country.
Dating to 1759, Historic Bethabara Park has the only known example of a reconstructed half-acre colonial community garden.
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History, Victory Gardens and WW II:
The world was at war. Resources of all kinds were being diverted to support national war efforts. Countries asked their citizens to help in every way that they could.
People dutifully funded the war by purchasing bonds, they conserved raw materials, they recycled, they rallied behind the troops, they helped their neighbors, they gave their lives, and they planted "Gardens for Victory".
Victory Gardens came in every shape and size. Governments and corporations promoted this call for self-reliance. People in all areas, rural and urban alike, worked the soil to raise food for their families, friends, and neighbors. Victory gardening enabled more supplies to be shipped to our troops around the world.
During the Second World War, millions of North Americans were encouraged to plant Victory Gardens to grow their own food so that agricultural production could be channeled to feeding Allied troops abroad.
"Plant a Victory Garden: Help Win the War!" was the rallying cry as urban dwellers in the United States and Canada converted backyards, empty lots and rooftops into gardens to grow hundreds of thousands of tons of fruit and vegetables. As Axis troops suffered massive shortages, the Allies were kept well supplied and the Victory Garden program was credited with helping to win the war.
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The Sunset Community Garden at 37th Avenue and Pacheco Street was the first victory garden in San Francisco.
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What Is a Victory Garden?
Victory gardens were vegetable gardens planted during the world wars to ensure an adequate food supply for civilians and troops. Government agencies, private foundations, businesses, schools, and seed companies all worked together to provide land, instruction, and seeds for individuals and communities to grow food.
From California to Florida, Americans plowed backyards, vacant lots, parks, baseball fields, and schoolyards to set out gardens. Children and adults fertilized, planted, weeded, and watered in order to harvest an abundance of vegetables.
Colorful posters and regular feature articles in newspapers and magazines helped to get the word out and encouraged people to stick with it. The goal was to produce enough fresh vegetables through the summer for the immediate family and neighbors. Any excess produce was canned and preserved for the winter and early spring until next year's victory garden produce was ripe.
Throughout the World War II years, millions of victory gardens in all shapes and sizes--from window boxes to community plots--produced abundant food for the folks at home. While the gardens themselves are now gone, posters, seed packets and catalogs, booklets, photos and films, newspaper articles and diaries, and people's memories still remain to tell us the story of victory gardens.
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During World War II, nearly 20 million Americans planted victory gardens. Their efforts growing and preserving their own food saved the nation's war products for the armed forces and Allies.
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