By May 1943, Americans were tending 18 million victory gardens, according to Wikipedia: 12 million in cities and 6 million on farms. Together they supplied about a third of the country’s vegetables.
The campaign grew out of the First World War, and it reached its peak in the Second World War, when canned food, tin and farm workers were all in short supply.
18 Million Gardens by May 1943
The figure comes from Wikipedia’s article on victory gardens, which also says that around one third of American vegetables came from the plots. It adds that home and community gardens produced an estimated 9 million to 10 million short tons in 1944, equal to all commercial fresh vegetable production that year.
Not every government count matches. The Department of Agriculture, in a story from its research service, cites archived fact sheets reporting more than 20 million victory gardens in 1943 and 10 billion pounds of food. It puts the 1944 share at around 40 percent of the vegetable supply.
The National Park Service says near the end of the Second World War there were approximately 20 million gardens producing 40 percent of the vegetables eaten in the United States. The gap between a third and 40 percent comes down to different years and different counts, so both are best read as rough scale.
Gardeners curious about how to keep growing into the colder months might look at elevated garden beds for fall greens and herbs, and those fighting insects can read about 13 worst garden pests.
How It Began in 1917
For more on lessons from the past, see 20 people in history who deserve more respect.
The first wave came during the First World War. In March 1917, Charles Lathrop Pack organized the National War Garden Commission and launched the war garden campaign, Wikipedia says. Over five million gardens were planted, and a school program, the United States School Garden Army, backed home gardening.
Wikipedia quotes President Woodrow Wilson as saying “Food will win the war,” and notes that Food Administrator Herbert Hoover aimed to send 20 million tons of food to the front by July 1919. The actual figure was 4 million tons.
Wartime stories also include a 103-year-old original Rosie the Riveter who led a Veterans Day parade. Family farms of that era leaned on machinery, as a look at 10 tractors that powered American family farms shows.
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Why the Second Wave Mattered
The New England Historical Society explains that Japan cut off Malaysian tin used for cans, and that tin was needed for military use. Without cans, food was hard to ship, and rationed canned goods alone could not feed a family. The Women’s Land Army filled in for about 3 million farmworkers who had left for war or defense jobs.
Wikipedia reports that a poll found 54% of Americans grew gardens for economic reasons, while 20% cited patriotism. A wartime slogan about growing and canning food at home tied the garden to the pantry, and the Department of Agriculture’s D.H. Bedford wrote an “ABC of Victory Gardens” brochure.
Home canning of garden produce also depended on sugar. According to the National Park Service, sugar rationing began in spring 1942, and the canning allowance started at 25 pounds per person per year. It dropped to 15 pounds in May 1945, and sugar stayed rationed until June 1947.
What Grew, and Where
The Smithsonian Gardens fact sheet says about half of American families had a victory garden during the Second World War. It reports at least 20 million gardens covering more than 20 million acres, and about 8 million tons of food grown by American families by 1945.
According to the USDA, two-thirds of the gardens were in towns, cities and suburbs. Tomatoes were the most popular crop, followed by string or wax beans, onions, lettuce, radishes, beets and carrots.
The New England Historical Society adds that Swiss chard and kohlrabi turned up in many gardens for the first time because they were easy to grow. Boston alone had 49 community gardens, including one on Boston Common, and the Fenway Victory Gardens covered seven acres of landfill.
Some gardeners planted on rooftops and public land. The National Park Service’s Oak Ridge article describes gardens from backyards in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to New York City rooftops, with potatoes, tomatoes, onions, beans, peas, cabbage and beets among the common crops. Gardeners canned extra produce, dried green beans on strings and stored potatoes in root cellars.
The White House Joins In
In 1943, Eleanor Roosevelt planted a victory garden on the White House lawn. Wikipedia notes that the Department of Agriculture had initially objected, fearing harm to the food industry.
Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History tells the story of Mary Scott’s family, who planted a victory garden and preserved vegetables in Ipswich, Massachusetts, during the war. In 1944, Agriculture Secretary Claude Wickard plowed a furrow on Boston Common to promote gardening, the New England Historical Society reports.
Fresh vegetables were also pricey. One Pawtucket, Rhode Island, A&P ad priced tomatoes at 19 cents a pound, according to the same source.
Why the Numbers Still Matter
Whether the count is 18 million or more than 20 million, victory gardens show how many households once supplied part of their own table. The USDA’s article suggests modern gardeners can grow cherry tomatoes, peppers and leafy greens in containers, or herbs on a sunny windowsill.
The campaign also shows how food policy, rationing and home cooking connected. When canned goods and sugar were limited, a backyard row of tomatoes and beans did real work at the family table.
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Image: Ann Rosener – Public domain/Wikimedia Commons
