Victory Gardens got their start in the FIRST World War, not the Second.
As I mention in my mission statement (see right column), I promise to share what I'm learning about VGs as I learn it. I must confess, however, that I was blown away by the above tidbit. Granted, I had not done much historical research yet...but I'm still a bit embarrassed. Heck, it's even mentioned over at the Revive the Victory garden site to which I link. Arrgghhh!!
My realization of this significant factoid--which escaped my attention in a couple of decades reading/writing/thinking about history and related topics (can you tell I'm rattled?)--was circuitous. And, in keeping with a theme of late, serendipitous. It was triggered with a random visit to Ebay, inspired by some online research into vintage VG posters. Given that most of them were created on behalf of the government and are in the public domain, I expected to find a fare number of reproductions. (There was one original poster, which seemed pretty affordable.)
It was while scrolling through items up for bid that I noticed two posters I'd never seen before. Their more flowing figures (see the examples above) suggested an earlier vintage than the blocky forms typical of WWII-era posters, so I poked around a bit more and, wham-o, I found an e-copy of The War Garden Victorious: Its War Time Need and Its Economic Value in Peace at Earthly Pursuits.
According to author/economist/conservationist (and Republican) Charles Lathrop Pack (1857-1937), the very first US VG was at Camp Dix, New Jersey and was planted in early Spring 1918. At the urging of the National War Garden Commission, a 400-acre garden (yep, you read that right--here's a picture) was constructed to serve the 48,000 troops waiting to ship off to Europe. The commission, which included numerous high-ranking civic and education leaders (including at least one woman), was headed by Pack and had been developed in light of difficulties our Allies faced in feeding troops and civilians alike. What is especially notable about the commission is how they systematically educated and galvanized gardeners at the grassroots, working with the media and, in Pack's words, ordinary "bulletin-boards"--the precursor of today's blogs.
Nothing new on earth...we can learn from the past...etcetera, etcetera...
I could go on and on about this marvelous publication...even take great pleasure at poking the quaint language heavy with religious imagery...but I won't. If you are interested in the VG topic or in American history in general, I strongly urge you to follow the above links and take a look at the book, which was reproduced online the old-fashioned way (he typed it all out!) by author/farmer/nurseryman/book collector Patrick Vickery.
Update: You might also want to check out this very nice article on the history of war gardens by Connie Krochmal. It includes this quote from President Woodrow Wilson: "Everyone who creates or cultivates a garden helps...This is the time for America to correct her unpardonable fault of wastefulness and extravagance."
And, speaking of our Republican friend Charles L. Pack, here's a September 1917 New York Times article on the issue of food waste--he declared it "one of the enemies that this country will have to fight if it would make the world safe for democracy." He also said:
Food waste is the enemy, food thrift the battle cry, and food conservation the weapon. The call to arms is urgent and involves every household in America...America today is a vast garden. Through our nation-wide survey we are able to announce that nearly three million more gardens have been cultivated in 1917 than in any previous year as a result of the impulse given by the National Emergency Food Garden Commision...Much has been learned this year by town and city people about the cultivation of the soil and the conservation of its products, so that we may look with faith and courage for still greater results for the next season, when the need may be even more urgent [emphases mine].Wow. Can you imagine if a prominent American...or Presidential candidate of either party...were to speak in these terms today?
Above: These WWI-era posters are both in the public domain and can be found in the National Archives' online collection. And is it just me or does the one woman bear a striking resemblance to actress Susan Sarandon?
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