Most people identify victory gardens with World War II, yet they were built and promoted during WWI. Use any place for food cultivation, Americans were told.
In 1917, industrialist Charles Lathrop Pack supported “war gardens” as head of the U.S. National War Garden Commission and coined the moniker victory gardens.
In 1919, almost 1 million children joined the US School Garden Army, a victory garden program. Approximately 15 million families participated in 1942.
New York public schoolchildren learnt to garden in 1944 and planted in vacant lots near to schools.
By 1943, 20 million U.S. victory gardens produced millions of tons of crops. About half of Americans possessed one during WWII.
Victory gardens encouraged Americans, corporations, and publishers to cultivate their own food, uniting them.
Eleanor Roosevelt supported the war by planting a White House victory garden. Diana Hopkins, 11, the daughter of a Roosevelt adviser, tended the garden.