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The History & Revival of Victory Gardens: From War Efforts to Climate Action

Discover the history of Victory Gardens from WWI and WWII and their modern revival as Climate Victory Gardens. Learn how regenerative gardening can combat climate change, promote food security, and empower communities. Join the movement and register your garden today!

3/5/20258 min read

The History & Revival of Victory Gardens: From War Efforts to Climate Action

Disclaimer

Disclaimer: This post contains some affiliate links. The small commission we receive if you choose to purchase goes towards making this gardening education available for free! We do not affiliate for anything we do not personally use.

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What We'll Cover:

1916 came to be known as "agriculturally the most disastrous year for Europe and America," leading to the rise of Victory Gardens during WWI and WWII as a crucial food security measure.

Crops failed in France, England,
Italy, and America.
The French ration of bread was
7 oz. per day.
England produced 1/5th of its food.
Milk production was down by 60%.

1. Victory Gardens during WWI and WWII

This was largely due to former farmers having been called to arms during World War I. At this time, Europe looked to America to help supply their food shortage and so the "war garden" effort was born.

Women & War Gardens: A Historical First

By 1918, an estimated 5,285,000 gardens had been planted in:

Backyards
Public spaces
Rooftops
Vacant lots
Any "idle land" available

These gardens played a critical role in reducing food shortages during the war.

One WWI propaganda poster, housed at the University of North Texas, reflects the movement’s urgency:

3. 5.2 Million War Gardens: A Nationwide Effort

In "The War Gardens Victorious: Its War Time Need & Its Economic Value in Peace,"Pack highlights the unprecedented role of women in this movement:

Many women took on the responsibility of maintaining Victory Gardens, ensuring their families and communities had fresh produce despite wartime hardships.

First-Hand Voices from the Past

Here are excerpts from letters women wrote to the War Garden Commission:

🔹 T.J. Ulery, Seattle, Washington
"Thanks for the war vegetable gardening book you sent me in the spring. My husband is in the Navy and I have two small babies, but that did not keep me from raising a garden. We have a plot 50 by 200 ft., and every inch is in something. I weigh 90 lbs., but I am going to do my bit. Now I wish you could send me your home canning and drying book."

🔹 Mrs. G.P. Dutcher, Arlington, Massachusetts
"I was 78 years old on March 31st. I expect to raise what beans I need for a family of three this year. I did it last year and did all my own planting."

These letters show the deep personal commitment of women to sustaining their families and communities through gardening.

"In no previous war did women play a part as they did in the world war."

4. World War II & the Rise of 20 Million Victory Gardens

During World War II, Victory Gardens returned in even greater numbers. By the war’s peak, 20 million gardens were growing across the United States.

🌱 Production Impact: Home and community gardens yielded an estimated 9-10 million tons of fruits and vegetables—equivalent to the nation’s entire commercial production of fresh produce.

However, after the war ended, government promotion of Victory Gardens ceased. By 1946, many people abandoned their gardens, assuming the return of full-scale commercial agriculture would sustain food supply. This led to temporary food shortages in grocery stores.

Learn more from Wessels Living History Farm,about the impact of Victory Gardens.

5. A New Victory Garden Movement: Climate Victory Gardens

Today, Green America is leading a new Victory Garden campaign. It is called the "Climate Victory Garden!"

A Climate Victory Garden is one that will not only supply the food that we need right at home but will help to regenerate the earth. This is a worldwide war effort, not just one for the United States and everyone can take part in it.

We've concluded that out of all the "green" things you can do (i.e solar, wind, geothermal etc.), gardening is actually the most impactful thing you can do. We've gone into the details about that in this blog: "Why Grow Your Own Food?"

Our personal mission at Permaculture Gardens has always been one of family stewardship. We believe that God has given us this beyond beautiful planet that we live in, and that in the process of growing abundantly, we simultaneously can help "renew the face of the earth."

How do we know that gardening will help the climate?

A Climate Victory Garden is essentially a "regenerative garden." Its specific goal is to capture carbon in soil and aboveground biomass, reversing current global trends of atmospheric accumulation through gardening! (Regenerative Agriculture Definition)

Are You Already a Climate Victory Gardener?

6. What is a Climate Victory Garden and How Does It Help Combat Climate Change?

Want to know if your backyard qualifies?
If you check off even one of these commitments, you’re already part of the movement!

🌿 Growing your own food
🌿 Using compost instead of synthetic fertilizers
🌿 Practicing no-dig gardening
🌿 Avoiding chemical pesticides
🌿 Planting perennials for long-term soil health

If you’ve attended our webinars or followed this blog, you’ve likely been applying these principles all along!

Already living out the Climate Garden Commitments? Then make it official, by REGISTERING on the Climate Victory Garden site. That way, we have a way of measuring the grassroots efforts that you and I pool together to help cool our climate worldwide!

By registering your garden as a Climate Victory one, we can measure our collective impact and grow the movement.

🎯 Goal: 5,000 gardens registered by next year!

✅ Register your garden here!

Watch This Video on Climate Victory Gardens!

Ron Finley (“The Gangsta Gardener”) and actress Rosario Dawson introduce this exciting movement in a short, inspiring video. (Heads up—Ron uses one strong word in the video.)

Make It Official: Register Your Climate Victory Garden!

🎥 Watch the video here!

I’ve followed Ron Finley’s work for years—his fight to change city ordinances in Los Angeles so people could legally grow food in public spaces is incredible!

How are Climate Victory Gardens different from Permaculture Gardens?

Well, I would say, Permaculture is a design system based on observation that integrates humans, plants, animals, the home, and the community. A permaculture garden is one where the output/yield is far greater than what you put into it. It is a cyclical economy at play and it also factors in such energies as solar, water, wind, and wildlife into the equation of design.

So in my opinion, all permaculture gardens are Climate Victory Gardens but perhaps not necessarily vice versa.

Are you getting paid to advertise Climate Victory Gardens for Green America?

No way! They reached out to us because Jes, the new director of the Climate Victory Campaign happened to be part of the Permaculture Garden tribe and she saw at once how aligned her campaign goals were with ours, so we connected and had a really fun time chatting over Zoom about Climate Victory Gardens!

Maybe you have an idea you'd like us to promote. If you do, tell us below!

OK, so I'm doing some of those commitments listed above but not all of them. Am I still technically a "Climate Victory Garden?"

Absolutely! We are all of us learning to become more sustainable, more zero-waste, more regenerative and more organic. Even if you are just about to start your garden but have plans to implement at least (1) one of the commitments, you can register your garden on the map!

I'm pretty sure I have a Climate Victory Garden, but what's the benefit of me registering my garden on the Climate Victory Garden site?

Plenty! This is a grassroots effort from every one, no matter where you live in the world. As long as you are gardening by trying to work with nature, not against it, we want to know who you are. By registering, all of us Climate Victory Gardeners will be able to:

encourage each other
document our gardens
study and increase the number of backyard gardens, allotments, growing spaces
and help reverse climate change, together.

FAQs

So don't just REGISTER, but please spread the word about this campaign! We're part of it and we hope you'll join us!

Final Thoughts

Reading the letters from 1918 Victory Gardeners, I feel deeply connected across the generations.

Our time here on earth is short, but our daily work of nurturing, nourishing and growing food extends beyond our current families and friends. Climate Victory Gardens are for our grandkids and their children.

Though separated by a century, I echo military mom T.J. Ulery’s words:
💬 "I am going to do my bit."

Let’s do ours. 💚