Victory Gardens - A Brief History

I'll be adding images and handouts from my American Kitchen Garden classes at the Chicago Botanic Garden. In the meantime, here's a brief look at Americans and their vegetable gardens during the first two World Wars. Also, check out www.earthlypursuits.com, a wonderful resource for background information on garden history.

Seeds for your WAR Garden!

In 1917, food shortages caused rioting in New York city. President Woodrow Wilson called on Americans to grow their own food and thus the first "War Gardens" were born. During WWII, the name was changed to Victory Gardens.

Better living through chemistry? A poster shows how to protect the WW II Victory Garden with chemicals.

As urban areas expand and empty lots disappear, community garden space gets squeezed. Here in Chicago (1918 during WW I), community gardens sprung up around schools and apartment buildings so that food could be grown in large quantities in public places. How did these women keep those long white dresses clean?!

Observe. Reflect. Bloom!