About Victory Gardens
What were victory gardens?
Simply put, a victory garden was a garden planted in the 1930s and 40s to help support the war effort in America. During WWI and WWII, food was rationed and not enough was produced by farmers to go around, and no food could go to waste. In response, the government issued posters, radio announcements, and advertisements everywhere to encourage Americans to grow their own food in backyard gardens. There were slogans like "Our food is fighting!" and "Sow the Seeds of Victory!" People felt that the more food they grew, the more they were supporting the war effort. The government latched onto this enthusiasm of the people to help however they could, and released propaganda to encourage the gardens. President Woodrow Wilson said, "Food will win the war." It is certainly true that the victory gardens helped concentrate the country's resources and allowed us to distribute food to those who needed it the most. At the peak of production, there were over 20 million victory gardens planted, and by the end of the war, about $1.2 billion worth of food had been produced. It is clear, then, that the victory gardens did indeed help conserve resources during a time when food was harder to come by and every scrap of cloth, rubber and metal was valuable.
A Victory Garden announcement on the radio from 1943. One important point the announcer makes is that the metal used in commercial canning is eliminated and could instead be used for ammunition, showing a supposed benefit of having a Victory Garden.
Not all advertisements were correct! This one states that carrots help you develop better night vision. Though it is true that carrots are good for your eyes, there is a fine line, according to John Stolarczyk, curator of the World Carrot Museum: “Somewhere on the journey the message that carrots are good for your eyes became disfigured into improving eyesight."
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The Victory Garden LegacyThough the country is no longer in a major world war nor in dire need of food, the value of a Victory Garden are still very much applicable today. Many people could benefit from growing their own food. Not only is it more inexpensive, but it is also a way to get healthy nutrients and know exactly where your food is coming from and what went into it. We could learn from the incredible drive of those women and men during the war to pitch in however they could, and can now take those ideas and apply them to our own lives.
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