Transition – Department of Hotel Management – Garden City College, Bangalore

As host of the Victory Garden on PBS from 2002-2007, I started to collect WWII Victory Garden memorabilia — posters, brochures, signs, that sort of thing. Then a few weeks ago I came across this 1942 film on the FDR Presidential Museum and Library site. It was in pretty bad shape; faded color, bad sound. So, I decided to restore it, as well as to add a modern commentary, making it both a valuable historical record of past practice, and a useful guide for those interested in growing their own food at home. It’s hard to believe now, but people like the Holders in this film grew almost half the country’s produce by the end of WII, right in their own backyards. These days, we don’t need to grow vegetables for the war effort, thank god, but you will reap ample rewards by growing at least a few fresh veggies for your own table. Nothing tastes better than produce from your own garden!

PLEASE NOTE: I have recently become aware that certain browsers attempt to insert an ad in front of this video. This is not my doing, and can be avoided entirely by using a browser with ad blocking malware installed. Cheers, M

Transition – Dept. of BHM

| Gardening Education | 20 Comments
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20 Comments

  • Adam Holter

    This is my farm! That was my grandfather, Dick in the film! Wonderful that this still exists for people to watch. We are still "farming for victory" into our 6th generation. Great to see it restored like this…we have been looking for this film for years.

    As a little background, Jane was not part if our family…she was a neighbor brought in to make the family size seem more normal. Also, there was no brother Bill in the army. Not featured in the film are Dick's 3 brothers, Cecil, Bob, and John. Aside from those tidbits, everything else is accurate. We really did used to have that big of a garden! I'm still gardening there, only it's about half that size because of our smaller family.

  • Clyde Johnson

    My grandfather worked for a steel mill during WWII, which gave Victory Garden plots on company land to all the employees.  Several had no interest in, or knowledge of, gardening, so Grandpa took over and worked FIVE of the plots.  That was in addition to the large garden they had at home.  He taught those interested in learning gardening how to take care of those plots; and in those days of no food banks/pantries, shared the excess with those in need.

    I came along in 1946, and don't remember a time that he and Grandma didn't have a HUGE annual garden on their "retirement" acreage, right up through high school. That was in addition to several fruit trees, rows of various cane berries, strawberries, 2 beehives, and then some–plus flowers.

  • Melos Antropon

    A beautiful restoration of a classic film I've seen before.  90% of the advice is unchanged, though many vegetables mentioned are now considered (to be fair) "archaic".  One important piece of advice missing:  If you don't already own one, invest in a LARGE freezer!  With me, you are preaching to the choir.  But with (sadly) too may modern Americans who would watch this, they would simply say "too much work" and move on.  Yes, sadly.  Very, very sadly.  True, a good garden is a LOT of work.  But you reap a LOT more out of it than just vegetables!

  • Michael Hartman

    Thanks for the video. Gardeners then were the unsung heroes. After the 2008 crash here people have started gardens, and it has been growing ever since. I enjoy the idea that more people are enjoying gardening and becoming more self-reliant.

  • Pro La

    Too bad America has lost it's way, and think it is weird to grow your own food in a garden these days. Some people even call the police on you for having food plants in your front yard, they say to the police that you are growing drugs to justify having them on your property spying on you. This is how weak our people and our country has become, by depending on corporations growing most of our food. Even if that food is bad for you, GMO's are setting us up to fail as a country and a people!

  • kestwing

    Hi Michael, thank you for taking the time to restore and post this video (with crucial and entertaining updates, too)! This is certainly a massive victory garden. 🙂

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