The Co-op Food Stores of New Hampshire and Vermont

added 02/22/10

by Jaime Richardson
Education Programs Assistant

In 1943, the U.S. government was encouraging Americans to work hard in response to the impact of World War II on the U.S. economy. Among other things, the food industry was struggling. As part of the war effort, the government was rationing foods like sugar, butter, milk, cheese, eggs, coffee, meat, and canned goods. Labor and transportation shortages made it hard to harvest and move fruits and vegetables to market. The government turned to its citizens and encouraged them to plant “victory gardens.”

Victory gardens, also called war gardens or food gardens, were vegetable, fruit, and herb gardens planted at private residences in the United States during World War II to reduce the pressure on the public food supply. Individuals were then providing their own fruits and vegetables.

Millions of families who planted victory gardens starting in early 1943 would eventually provide nearly half of the fresh produce consumed during the next five years. On rooftops, in back yards, and even in containers on front porches, neighbors pooled their resources and planted different kinds of food, working cooperatively in the name of patriotism.

Magazines such as the Saturday Evening Post and Life printed stories about victory gardens, and women’s magazines gave instructions on how to grow and preserve garden produce. Families were encouraged to can their own vegetables to save commercial canned goods for the troops. In 1943, families bought 315,000 pressure cookers for canning, compared to 66,000 in 1942. The government and businesses urged people to make gardening a family and community effort.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that more than 20 million victory gardens were planted, with New Hampshire having 80,000 of those. From these home and community plots, Americans harvested between nine and ten million tons of fruits and vegetables.

Today we face potential fuel scarcity, rising food cost, and agricultural demands possibly having environmental implications. As the world encounters hard times, we will need practical and back-to-basics solutions. With a new name and similar mission, “freedom gardens” emerged in the last ten years as a way of revisiting the idea of sustainable communities.

First Lady Michelle Obama broke ground in the spring of 2009 to create a freedom garden that provides fresh, local, and sustainably grown vegetables and herbs to the White House kitchen, becoming the first president’s wife to do so since Eleanor Roosevelt planted victory gardens in 1943. She was joined by students from a Washington, D.C., elementary school who stayed involved with the project, harvesting the crops late in 2009.

“My hope,” the First Lady said in an interview in her East Wing office, “is that … children … will begin to educate their families and that will, in turn, begin to educate our communities.”

Gardens Throughout History
Ancient Babylonians and Egyptians used edible landscaping techniques. Another form of edible landscaping or urban agriculture sprouted up in France during the 16th and 17th centuries; the gardens otherwise know as potager or kitchen gardens supplied herbs, vegetables, and fruit. The following, compiled by Side Walk Sprouts, is a list of edible landscaping trends in more recent history: 1. Potato Patches (1890-1930); 2. City Beautiful Movement (1890-1910); 3. World War I: Liberty Gardens (1917-1919); 4. Depression relief gardens (1930-1938); 5. World War II: Victory Gardens (1940-1945); 6. Community Garden Movement (1970-present); 7. Freedom Garden Movement (post-September 11, 2001 to present)

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