Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Victory Gardens

Though much of the focus on the Homefront of the war effort 
during WWII falls to the workers of
factories that manufacture tanks, airplanes, and other necessities for soldiers, very little is known about victory gardens, a more domestic and leisurely way that many Americans were able to contribute to the war effort.

During the war effort, food shortages occurred throughout Europe with most of the outskirt farmland areas being transformed into battlefields. Other countries also cut off aid, such as Japan, who cut off materials vital to tin cans. This meant that less food could be carried over long distances since the cans partially responsible for sealing them, preventing degradation, could no longer be manufactured. As a result, less food went to the average American family so that more could be diverted towards the war effort. Food prices also rose during this time period, as many foods were overpriced for the time, such as Tomatoes, which were sold at 19 cents a pound. As a result, many people began to develop their own gardens known as “Victory Gardens”.

Although there was some backlash from the Department of Agriculture, many supported the movement including Eleanor Roosevelt, who planted her own garden in the White House. Food grown in these gardens included kale, lettuce, peas, tomatoes, and carrots. During the war, 20 million families participated in their own Victory Gardens and produced a sum of 8 million tons of food, 40% of the total consumption amount in the US annually.

The government later became supportive of the effort, even creating pamphlets, videos, and other forms of aid meant to teach citizens how to properly seed and maintain their new “Victory Gardens”. Cities also organized and facilitated such gardens, the most notable being Boston, where 49 community gardens were regulated by the city. Incentives were also laid out for those who created Victory Gardens, such as the Arkleys family, who maintained a garden so large that they qualified for extra gasoline rations due to it being considered a sizeable war contribution.

Today, there are only two remaining Victory Gardens from WWII, one in Richard D. Parker Memorial Garden and the other in Boston’s Fenway community garden.




https://www.history.com/news/americas-patriotic-victory-gardens
http://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/how-vicory-gardens-helped-win-world-war-2/

1 comment:

  1. I think this is a really interesting thing to blog about. I've definitely heard of the shortages and the rationing involved in WWII, but it is quite shocking that a part of WWII contributing 40% of the total US food consumption entered my brain for the first time today. It's also interesting to note that America was not alone: Australia and Britain, among other countries, also had victory gardens, a testament to their effectiveness.
    Fun Fact: there were even films made about growing victory gardens!
    Anyways, great job.

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