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Victory Gardens

In December 1941, the Secretary of Agriculture, Claude Wickard, made an announcement that because commercial farmers were busy feeding the U.S. military personnel, U.S. civilians who wanted fresh vegetables on their tables should plant a 'Victory Garden'.

Millions of civilians who had no clue of how a garden was handled, suddenly began planting a types of vegetables in every imaginable place from prisons to zoos to school rooms.

To help with this massive undertaking, the Department of Agriculture and seed companies put out tremendous amounts of information.

Soon states were helping with the promotions, for example, in Tennessee, home farmers were refered to as 'Sunday Farmers'. Tennessee gave a special State Certificate of Recognition to any 'Sunday Farmer' that grew 75% of their food.

By 1943, 'Sunday Farmers' with their 'Victory Gardens' produced approximately 1/3 of all the fresh vegetables consumed in the country.

Note this is a photo of Harry Ducote at his parking lot here in New Orleans just a block off of Canal Street with his 'Victory Garden'.

 

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