Victory gardens

By Alex Anderson – Plant Bar

War Gardens began in World War I and continued during World War II.  Following the armistice, they became known as Victory Gardens (for which they are mostly referred to today).

With millions of soldiers in the US & Europe (many farmers) leaving to go off to war, thousands of crops were left to go to waste, food was needed to feed the soldiers, and there was a looming threat of food shortages on the home front.

In 1917, Charles Lathrop Pack organized the National War Garden Commission and in his book, War Garden Victorious, he explains how these gardens supplied the US and Europe with food. The main mission of this commission was to educate and promote the war gardens to Americans to encourage them to plant crops on any possible piece of land available.

The war gardens were publicized through the press, pamphlets, and propaganda posters. A book was even published with gardening instructions and several million free copies were given away.   The newspapers gave daily lessons on planting and conserving food through canning and drying. Libraries displayed books and posters on gardening. But perhaps most important of all, the propaganda posters played the most integral role in getting the message to the American public of the necessity of the world’s food needs (posters are shown here throughout this blog post).

The National War Garden Commission printed pamphlets so children could grow gardens at school, known as the United States School Garden Army.  Children learned not only how to garden but the importance of it.

The Pennsylvania Railroad (and many other railroads) encouraged planting on their lands. Companies loaned or rented land to their employees to create gardens. Community gardens began to emerge at this time as well. Cities were proud of their war gardens as it beautified their town.

I was very fortunate to visit a private collection of these original WWI propaganda posters.  Ironically I had just been reading about war gardens and was writing this blog post and have only seen the posters in books.  Then literally a few days later I met someone who owns them.  Garden serendipity? I think so.

These gardens gave Americans on the home front a real sense of pride and contribution to fighting the wars. A spirit of democracy, fellowship and unity was felt among them. Everyone on the home front became Soldiers of the Soil.

The Pennsylvania Railroad (and many other railroads) encouraged planting on their lands. Companies loaned or rented land to their employees to create gardens. Community gardens began to emerge at this time as well. Cities were proud of their war gardens as it beautified their town.

These gardens gave Americans on the home front a real sense of pride and contribution to fighting the wars. A spirit of democracy, fellowship and unity was felt among them. Everyone on the home front became Soldiers of the Soil.

Victory gardens conserved not only food, but labor as well. Since people were growing their own food at home, the food didn’t need to travel through the farmer, the railroader, the wholesaler and the retailer. It also helped in conserving fuel and coal, as the railroads weren’t needed as much to transport the food.

Doesn’t this sound familiar? Here we are 100 years later with things like slow food, locally grown, decreasing our carbon footprint now the trend. Just think if every family in American had continued to grow these gardens since WWI, what would life be like now? We would have been eating healthier organic food all this time, possibly resulting in less disease, obesity, starvation and even poverty and pollution.

Just imagine if every household in your neighborhood had a victory garden. You could walk over to a neighbor to borrow tomatoes and in return give them green beans. You could hold a weekly farmers market and sell your excess crops. And you’d probably make fewer trips to Traders Joes.

In Charles Lathrop Pack’s book he said ‘Unquestionably, community gardens will continue. It will be the peace-time descendant of the war garden’.

So I propose we resurrect victory gardens now. Victory gardens against starvation, global warming, pesticides, non-organic foods, obesity, poverty and relative to right now…..disease.  I challenge you to become a Soldier of the Soil and start your victory garden today!

This post is dedicated to my husband for his loyal and courageous military service.  De Oppresso Liber

 #VictoryOverVirus

Source: War Garden Victorious: History of the War Garden (Victory Garden) During WW I by Charles Lathrop Pack