The Victory Garden: Patriotic self-sufficiency

In the days leading up to independence day this year, we have been thinking a lot about the state of our country. With one of the most stressful and divisive elections in our history now a few months past, we are all settling down for the summer and are ready to celebrate our country's independence. The United States is known for its resilient population, able to handle natural disasters, political scandals, and other times of struggle in stride.

In the United States during WWI, the National War Garden Commission was formed by the timber industry's Charles Lathrop Pack, who conceived the idea that the supply of food could be greatly increased without the use of land and manpower already engaged in agriculture, and without the significant use of transportation facilities needed for the war effort. The program resulted in over five million gardens taking form across the country during the war, which were able to send 4 million tons of food to the war front (a commendable amount, but markedly less than the 20 million ton goal).

During WWII, Eleanor Roosevelt planted an example victory garden on the White House lawn. At first, the Department of Agriculture objected, fearing that starting a victory garden movement would hurt the commercial food production industry in the country, but did end up disseminating public service booklets about basic home gardening practices. Local communities had festivals and competitions to showcase the produce people grew in their own gardens. While the garden movement united some communities, it segregated others, as separate prizes were given to produce grown by non-whites, a trend that was especially popular in the deep south.

Although we are not currently in a time of war (and hopefully will not be any time soon), the ability of our agricultural supply chain cannot always keep up with the needs of our growing population. We can all remember the shortages that occurred during COVID due to factory shut-downs, and with climate change and pest issues like the latest outbreak of the invasive Spotted Lanternfly becoming more frequent, there is a great need in our country for an insulating buffer. Enter the victory garden.

Planting a Victory Garden

Self-sufficiency, in a nutshell, refers to the ability of an individual to take care of themselves without outside help. The higher number of households that can be self-sufficient, the less stress will be put on our already struggling agricultural industry. Returning our country to a state that values this quality is of utmost importance, because it has the potential to lower emissions, reduce food waste, lessen pollutive runoff from large-scale agriculture areas, and increase the well-being of our citizens. The best part is, all of this can be done without spending much money.

​Historically, Victory Gardens were focused on crops that were easy to grow. This was a fail safe measure more than anything else; if crops failed during wartime, it created a dire situation. These easy-to-grow crops included root crops and hardy crops that could be safely stored for consumption over the winter months. Canning and preserving go hand-in-hand with tending victory gardens, ensuring that households had enough vitamins to get them through the cold seasons without the threat of undernourishment.

Traditional crops grown in these gardens included leafy greens, beans, watermelons, and tomatoes. The main deciding factor in choosing crops to grow in a household victory garden is knowing what your family will and will not eat. If nobody in the family likes beets, it's probably not a good choice to grow them. Also, it is important to consider space limitations and crop rotation as a way to maximize how much produce is reaped from planting beds. In most regions of the country, 'cool season' crops, including leafy lettuces, root vegetables, and peas, are planted in March. 'Warm season' crops are planted when the soil is warmer around June, and include zucchini, cucumber, tomato, and pepper.

Make sure to check out the resources in our Home Gardening Course to brush up on your cultivation skills and learn some new things while you are planning your very own Victory Garden.

Resources and References

World War Wednesday: The War Garden Guyed

The War Garden Guyed (National War Garden Comission, 1918) (PDF)

What to Plant in a Victory Garden

Wikipedia: Victory Garden