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Victory Gardens on the World War II Home Front

Color illustration. A white woman in skirt and seamed stockings and a white man in overalls bend over to weed a small garden, while a white boy in a military cap holds a bushel basket of home-grown vegetables. Color illustration. A white woman in skirt and seamed stockings and a white man in overalls bend over to weed a small garden, while a white boy in a military cap holds a bushel basket of home-grown vegetables.

Left image
“Plant a Victory Garden : Our Food Is Fighting : A Garden Will Make Your Rations Go Further.” Poster, Office of War Information, 1943.
Credit: Collection of Northwestern University Libraries, Government & Geographic Information Collection (ark:/81985/n2d50hx9g).

Right image
“War Gardens for Victory: Grow Vitamins At Your Kitchen Door.” Poster, National Garden Bureau, c. 1943.
Credit: Collection of Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/96507418/).

Black and white photo. A young white girl and white boy stand in front of a store display of seed packets.
“Victory Gardens – for family and country. There’s no age limit. These youngsters are selecting seeds: carrots, beets, tomatoes, squash.” Photo by Ann Rosener, Office of War Information, 1943.

Collection of Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2017696705/).

Victory Gardens
on the World War II Home Front

Faced with having to feed an expanded military and a hungry population, the US government reintroduced the idea of War Gardens from World War I. They rebranded them as Victory Gardens for World War II, and spelled out their purpose:

The Victory Garden Program will:

1. Increase the production and consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits by more and better home, school, and community gardens, to the end that we become a stronger and healthier Nation.
2. Encourage the proper storage and preservation of the surplus from such gardens for distribution and use by families producing it, local school lunches, welfare agencies, and for local emergency food needs.
3. Enable families and institutions to save on the cost of vegetables and apply this saving to other necessary foods which must be purchased.
4. Provide through the medium of community gardens, an opportunity for gardening by urban dwellers and others who lack suitable home garden facilities.
5. Maintain and improve the morale and spiritual well-being of the individual, family, and Nation. The beautification of the home and community by gardening provides healthful physical exercise, recreation, definite release from war stress and strain.

-- (Garden for Victory: Guide for Planning the Local Victory Garden Program 1942)[1]

Black and white line drawing of a gardener in overalls and a large hat spraying insecticide on a winged insect.
“Don’t let your Victory Gardener be dismayed at the onslaught of greedy bugs, any more than at the fifth column of weeds. Local experienced gardeners or bulletins will tell how to blast the miniature [enemies] in a hurry.” USDA 1943a, p.8.

Collection of the National Agricultural Library.

Victory Gardens freed up agricultural produce, packaging, and transportation resources for the war effort, and helped offset shortages of agricultural workers. Victory Gardeners increased their health through physical activity, and their families enjoyed better nutrition. The program also fostered morale, patriotism, and a sense of community among participants.

World War II Victory Gardens were grown on farms, in backyards, on city rooftops, in window-boxes, on public lands, and in vacant lots.[2]

Black and white photo of a Black woman in a dress standing in front of a clapboard row house. The door is open. She is standing by a garden in her front yard. The window is open.
“A Resident of Southwest Washington, DC and her Victory Garden.” Note the service flag in her window. Two stars means two family members serving in the war. Photo by Joseph A. Horne, Office of War Information, June 1943.

Collection of the Library of Congress (https://lccn.loc.gov/2017861302).

Attendees at a National Garden Conference held in Washington, DC in December 1941 set the groundwork of the World War II Victory Garden program (War Gardens was a similar program from World War I). Hosted by the Secretary of Agriculture and the Director of the Office of Defense, Health and Welfare Services, youth groups, farmers, garden clubs, seed companies, the farm press, and others were in attendance.[3]

In 1939, more than $200 million worth of vegetables were grown in 4.8 million farm home gardens.[4] In 1944, 18.5 million gardeners took part in Victory Gardens, supplying 40% of the nation’s fresh vegetables.[5] Well-known Victory Gardeners -- including Mickey Mouse, Batman, Superman, Vice President Henry Wallace, and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt -- encouraged people to participate.[6]

By the time the war was over in 1945, American Victory Gardeners had grown between 8 and 10 million tons of food.[7]

Black and white planting plan for a garden, showing how many rows of pole beans, tomatoes, chard, turnips, cabbage, and other vegetables to plant. Black and white planting plan for a garden, showing how many rows of pole beans, tomatoes, chard, turnips, cabbage, and other vegetables to plant.

Left image
“Plan for a Very Small Garden (30 x0 50 feet).” From Boswell, Victor (1943) Victory Gardens. United States Department of Agriculture.
Credit: Collection of the National Agricultural Library.

Right image
“New York City, New York. Children’s school Victory Gardens on First Avenue between Thirty-fifth and Thirty-sixth Streets.” Photo by Edward Meyer, Office of War Information, June 1944.
Credit: Collection of the Library of Congress (https://www.loc.gov/resource/fsa.8d35490/).

Color photo overlooking a rail yard. In the lower portion are two cars parked next to a long row of sheds. In an adjacent grassy area, a garden bed has been tilled and partly planted. In the distance is more rail yard and then homes under an overcast sky.
“A Chicago and North Western railroad worker cultivating a small Victory garden in the Proviso yard, Chicago, IL.” Two coworkers look on. Photo by Jack Delano, Office of War Information, April 1943.

Collection of the Library of Congress (https://lccn.loc.gov/2017878069).

The program discouraged people from growing private Victory gardens in large towns and cities. The general lack of space, poor soils, and poor light meant a poor return on war-scarce materials including pesticides, tools, and fertilizers.

Organizers instead recommended communal gardening in school grounds, parks, vacant lots, and elsewhere. Companies and agencies including the National Institutes of Health and managers of the Manhattan Project also provided land for employee Victory Gardens.[8]

People who were unable to garden were encouraged to help preserve produce for others, or to distribute flowers to hospitals and shut ins.[9] In Utah, a group of residents without access to a garden purchased 1,000 pounds of beans and canned them for their own use in August 1943.[10]

Many Americans had gardens before World War II. But many were new to the practice: “About 18 million families this year will meet the situation by growing Victory Gardens. Many of these people will be growing a garden for the first time – and they need help.”[11]

Federal and state agencies, local governments, private citizens, and civic groups all published guides and held classes to ensure success. They advised on what to grow, how to grow it, gave sample garden plans, sample yields, and information on weed and pest control.

For community organizers, resources provided best practices on managing a Victory Garden program, including the kinds of work needed, decision points, and record keeping.[12]

Victory Gardens introduced people to gardening and to unfamiliar crops like Swiss chard and kohlrabi.[13] Some also raised chickens in their gardens, providing eggs, meat, and also insect control. Community Victory Gardens provided more than a plot of dirt: “War news was shared. Recipes and remedies were shared. And gossip too.”[14] Many who grew up with Victory Gardens continued gardening throughout their lives and introduced it to their children.[15]

Growing Victory Gardens was only half the battle. Gardeners also had to preserve their bounty for use throughout the year. There were many resources to help people preserve their crops, ranging from information to canning classes.

Black and white photo of a white man in a tie kneeling in a garden with plants. Three white girls in Girl Scout uniforms look on. Black and white photo of a white man in a tie kneeling in a garden with plants. Three white girls in Girl Scout uniforms look on.

Left image
“Guiding hand behind many West coast Victory Gardens, Prof. Harry Nelson still finds time to give his 10-year-old daughter and her Girl Scout friends some pointers in transplanting vegetables.” Photo by Ann Rosener, Office of War Information, March 1943.
Credit: Collection of the Library of Congress (https://lccn.loc.gov/2017696713).

Right image
“Victory Gardening in DC. Some of the Victory Gardeners also have a Victory Flock.” Photo by Edwin Rosskam, Office of War Information, May 1943.
Credit: Collection of the Library of Congress (https://lccn.loc.gov/2017853941).

Victory Gardens in Japanese Incarceration Camps

Black and white sketch drawing of rows of plants in front of a camp barrack.
A Victory Garden at Jerome War Relocation Center. “Typical of the many Victory Gardens in the Center is the one. It includes corn, cucumbers, egg plants, pumpkins, and string beans.” From the Denson Tribune (camp newspaper), July 13, 1943, p. 3.

Denson Tribune (Jerome Relocation Center, Arkansas), July 13, 1943, p. 3. Collection Library of Congress, Chronicling America.

People of Japanese descent sent to government incarceration camps also planted Victory Gardens. Photos, written resources, and archaeological evidence have identified them at Assembly Centers, War Relocation Centers, and Department of Justice Enemy Alien camps.[16]

Examples of War Relocation Centers with Victory Gardens: [17]

Black and white photo of a garden plot between two front doors. The left door is open and we can see a chair, bucket, and clothes. There are curtains in the windows. A line of tools stands against the wall. The garden is in the foreground.
Black and white photo of a garden plot between two front doors. The left door is open and we can see a chair, bucket, and clothes. There are curtains in the windows. A line of tools stands against the wall. The garden is in the foreground.

Collection of the National Archives and Records Administration (NAID: 537912).

Examples of Assembly Centers with Victory Gardens: [18]

  • Camp Harmony / Walerga (Puyallup, Washington)
  • Santa Anita (Arcadia, California)
  • Tanforan (San Bruno, California)

Examples of Department of Justice Enemy Alien and Isolation Camps with Victory Gardens: [19]

  • Crystal City (Texas)
  • Fort Missoula (Montana)
  • Kooskia (Idaho)


Before relocation, many of those incarcerated had been gardeners, nursery owners, and farmers. Some people brought seeds and plants with them. Others purchased them through mail order, or transplanted them from camp to camp when they were relocated.[20] Victory Gardens were most often located in residential areas of the incarceration camps, away from the production farms (where prisoners grew food for the relocation centers). Individuals and school and community groups started and cared for the Victory Gardens -- with the approval of the camp managers. (Camp managers also grew Victory Gardens in the camps – at least at Manzanar.)[21]

Japanese and Japanese Americans planted their gardens in incarceration camps knowing they may not be there to harvest them.[22] The reasons that residents chose to grow Victory Gardens were complex. For many there was the patriotism of being American and supporting the war, despite the government forcing them into camps.

Gardening was also a way to spend time when not working and a way to improve their surroundings. Because those in the camps were under the same rationing restrictions as other Americans, Victory Gardens supplemented government-issue meals with fresh and varied produce.[23]

Black and white photo of produce on display. There is corn, radishes, beets, kale, and carrots among other things. Black and white photo of produce on display. There is corn, radishes, beets, kale, and carrots among other things.

Left image
“Vegetable crop display, Amache Agricultural Fair, September 11 and 12” Granada War Relocation Center. Note the patriotic creation of an American flag as part of the display. Photo by Joe McClelland, War Relocation Authority, 1943.
Credit: Collection of the National Archives and Records Administration (NAID: 537321).

Right image
“One of the many small Victory Gardens seen throughout the Rohwer Center.” Rowher Relocation Center, Arkansas. Photo by Charles E. Mace, War Relocation Authority, June 1944.
Credit: Collection of the National Archives and Records Administration (NAID: 539708).

Color photo of a Chinese elm as a bonsai tree.
A Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia) bonsai tree. Training begun in 1929. Photo by Daderot at Longwood Gardens, Kennet Square, Pennsylvania, May 2013.

Photo by Daderot (Wikimedia)

Perhaps most importantly, gardening was a way to keep their Japanese heritage alive and foster community healing and cohesion. Incarceration camp Victory Gardeners planted traditional Japanese vegetables and ornamental plants alongside vegetables like peas, pumpkins, corn, and cucumbers. Japanese gardeners often incorporated traditional layouts and locations in their plantings. At Manzanar and Granada, this included elements of shakkei (borrowed scenery) and placing gardens at entryways.[24]

Archaeological testing at the location of a Granada War Relocation Center (Amache) Victory Garden looked at pollen, seeds, and soil chemistry. Researchers identified pollen from cultivated potatoes and Canna (an ornamental plant also used as a source of food in the tropics). They also recovered seeds from Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolius) trees.

Camp residents planted these trees in part for shade, but they are also a popular choice for bonsai.[25] Soil chemistry identified amendments added to make the desert soils productive. These included ammonium nitrate, phosphorus, potassium, crumbled eggshell and crushed abalone shell. [26]

Archaeologists identified surviving elements of the Victory Garden, including its location and construction materials.[27] Recovered artifacts included a homemade wheelbarrow wheel, planter pots made from cans, and a possible watering can.[28]

These are consistent with findings at other incarceration camps. At Santa Anita Assembly Center, there was a 50-can container garden. Photos from Manzanar also show container gardens planted in cans. At Topaz and Manzanar, people attached sticks to perforated cans to make watering tools.[29]

Victory Gardens After World War II

Most Victory Gardens disappeared after the war. People became uninterested; they wanted to distance themselves from the food hardships of the Great Depression and the War; and there was a shift to post-war processed foods. Former agricultural land also got developed in the post-war housing boom, and people moving to the new suburbs had their own private yards. They no longer needed public community gardens if they wished to continue gardening.[30]

Despite these changes, community gardening has not disappeared. There are many garden plots on public and private land that offer nearby residents the chance to grow fresh food and build community. Many – including in Washington, DC and Chicago, Illinois -- trace their roots to Victory Gardens.[31] Several garden clubs also have their origins with World War II Victory Gardens. [32]
Color photo showing several plots at the Dowling Community Garden, full of growing plants. In the center of the photo is the sign for the gardens.
Sign at the Dowling Community Garden, Minneapolis. The garden was founded as a Victory Garden in 1943.

Photo by Jade Ryerson, July 2022.

There are at least two known Victory Gardens that have been in continuous use since World War II -- some 80 years after their founding. These are the Fenway Victory Gardens in Boston, Massachusetts and the Dowling Victory Garden in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[33]

Fenway Victory Gardens

Established in 1942, Fenway Victory Gardens are located in the Back Bay Fens portion of Boston’s Olmsted-designed “Emerald Necklace” of parks. After the war, the city and others wanted to develop the area. Richard Parker, one of the original gardeners, led a successful public campaign to stop the developers. The gardens are now known as the Richard D. Parker Memorial Victory Gardens. There are over 500 plots in the garden's 7.5 acres. Current crops include about 25% vegetables, with the rest planted in flowers, fruits, and herbs.[34]

Dowling Victory Garden

Dowling Victory Garden (now the Dowling Community Garden) is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A group of neighbors established it in a corner of a local school in 1943. After the war, it transitioned into a community garden. Public pressure by the gardeners and others stopped threatened development in 1996 and 2003. There are currently 190 plots in about 3 acres, where gardeners plant mostly vegetables with some fruits and herbs.[35]

Black and white portrait of a woman smiling at the camera.
Rachel Carson, 1940. US Fish and Wildlife Service employee photo.

Courtesy US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Special Mention: Rachel Carson and DDT

Protecting plants from insects, weeds, and disease was important to a successful Victory Garden. One of the main insecticides recommended was pyrethrum, a common bug killer that became scarce during the war. Pyrethrum was made from a flower in the aster family, and was imported mostly from Japan.[36]

Other pesticides used were lead arsenate, nicotine sulfate, and something called Bordeaux powder, which was a mixture of copper sulfate and lime.[37] An alternative to pyrethrum used by the military was DDT. They used it for pest control in supplies, to treat civilians (in their homes and in refugee camps) for typhus, and to prevent malaria in the tropics. In 1943, it was being manufactured in the US at a rate of as much as 3 million pounds a month.[38]

The benefits for post-war civilian use in increasing agricultural production and reducing insect-borne disease around the world were widely heralded.[39] DDT was released for civilian use just three days before the end of World War II. The long-term effects and dangers of DDT to the world’s ecosystems were documented by Rachel Carson in her book, Silent Spring. It spurred the modern environmental movement, the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, and resulted in the banning of DDT use.[40]

Collection of the National Archives and Records Administration (NAID: 515408). Collection of the National Archives and Records Administration (NAID: 515408).

Left image
“Shoot To Kill! Protect Your Victory Garden.” Poster, US Department of Agriculture, 1943.
Credit: Color illustration of a white woman in blue overalls and a hat with a garden trowel in her back pocket. She is spraying insecticide on a large bug perched on a ripe red tomato.

Right image
Cover of the Mills Seeds catalog for 1943. They are offering seeds for a Victory Vegetable Garden for 10 cents (about $1.70 in 2023 dollars). F.B. Mills, Rose Hill, NY, 1943.
Credit: Collection of the National Agricultural Library.

This article was written by Megan E. Springate, Assistant Research Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Maryland, for the NPS Cultural Resources Office of Interpretation and Education. It was funded by the National Council on Public History’s cooperative agreement with the National Park Service.

Notes and Bibliography

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Last updated: November 16, 2023