COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • HOME IMPROVEMENT • Friday, April 18, 2025 • 1
HOME improvement
Victory is Ours Victory gardens are blossoming again Chuck Norris Creators.com
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uring World War II, through our collective will, American industry was transformed almost overnight. The automotive industry changed completely. In 1941, more than 3 million cars were manufactured in the United States; only 139 more were made during the entire war as a retooled industry was soon seeing B-24 Liberator bombers come off the line every 63 minutes. As labor and transportation shortages at home made it hard to harvest and move fruits and vegetables to market, citizens answered the call. To help the war effort, nearly 20 million Americans began planting gardens in backyards, window boxes, empty lots, parks, baseball fields, schoolyards and city rooftops. Neighbors pooled their resources, planted different varieties of needed foods and formed cooperatives to get these foods to those who needed them — all in the name of patriotism. The goal was to produce enough fresh vegetables through the summer for the immediate family and neighbors. Any excess produce was canned and preserved for the winter and early spring until next year’s victory garden produce was ripe. Fruit and vegetables harvested in these home and community plots are estimated to be between 9 million and 10 million tons, nearly equal to all commercial production at the time. This effort is commemorated with a re-created victory garden located on the east lawn of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. Victory gardens were not a new concept in 1941 — they existed during World War I. A similar concept emerged during the Great Depression. In these instances, gardens to grow food were started to answer to economic difficulties. Now, in the 21st century, turning to home space and public land to grow victory gardens is viewed as not just a response to economic difficulties, but one of the few sure ways of healthy eating. Victory is Ours | 2