A 



Recreated World War II 

 Vegetable Garden 

 in the Puddle Dock Neighborhood 

 of Portsmouth, NH 



Mrs. Pecunies' Victory Garden 



by John Misenheimer 



w. 



ith the onset of World War 11, 



the United States was facing difBculties 



with domestic food shortages 



as well as internal transportation problems. 



Truck farmers and large commercial growers 



were unable to transport their produce readily 



to markets and much of what they grew 



was diverted overseas: 



first to feed a war-ravaged Europe, 



then to feed our own soldiers abroad. 



Gasoline, tires, and 



chemicals usually found in fertilizers 



likewise were reserved for the direct war effort. 



As a result. The U.S Department of Agriculture 



initiated a campaign to encourage 



local food production in small backyard 



or community gardens. 



In 1942, Secretary of Agriculture Claude Wikard 



referred to the planting of such gardens 



"as a new inspiration from the symbol 



V for Victory: 



Vegetables for Victory and Vitality." 



The name "Victory Garden," 



borrowed from the English war garden effort, 



became recognized nationwide and 



the country responded with amazing amounts 



of local vegetable and firuit production. 



The objectives of the Victory Garden Program, as out- 

 lined by Secretary Wikard, were threefold: increase local 

 production of food supplies, boost homefront morale by 

 giving those at home a way to contribute to the war ef- 

 fort, and improve awareness of nutritional needs. The 

 latter need became obvious as large numbers of draft- 

 ees were found to suffer from nutritional deficiencies 

 rendering them unfit for service. 



The Department of Agriculture organized a conference 

 of horticulture, nutrition, and education experts to study 

 the three objectives. As a result, the encouragement of 

 home gardens and home canning received federal back- 

 ing. A blitz of information bulletins produced by Dept. 

 of Agriculture, the Office of War information, the OPA, 

 and the WPA filled the files of county Extension agents, 

 vocational schools, defense councils, garden clubs, and 

 even scouting troops and public schools. Very specific 

 garden plot plans were formulated for plots as small as 

 10' X 10' and up to 100' x 100'. Bulletins provided infor- 

 mation on soil preparation and amendments, insect con- 

 trol, proper tool care and use, and selection of appropri- 

 ate varieties of vegetables. They also recommended the 

 quantities of seed to use in order that seed didn't go to 

 waste The campaign did a good job of teaching people, 

 many of whom never before felt the desire or need to 

 garden. 



Facing a lack of mechanical assistance and a shortage 

 of young men who, formerly, would have been hired to 

 turn the garden, these small garden plots became family 

 projects. The instruction for different family members: 

 weeding, cultivating watering, harvesting, canning, and 

 root cellar preparations. The intentional emphasis on 

 family involvement was a contributing factor to 

 homefront morale. 



Soil preparation was accomplished with the aid of a 

 garden fork, a round-pointed shovel, or a garden spade, 

 digging to the depth of the blade or tines. Peat moss, 

 compost, and some chemical fertilizers (such as 0-14-14) 

 were available. Nitrates were unavailable to the Victory 

 gardener as they were required for explosives. A favored 

 fertilizer in the Seacoast was fish waste. Lime was also 

 available and the value of wood ash was well recognized. 



lUNE ♦ JULY 1996 



