While Victory Gardens are strongly associated with the World Wars, the concept of utilizing home and community gardens for food production was indeed present during the Great Depression, though it wasn’t branded or promoted in the same way.¹ Here’s why:

• Different Focus: During the World Wars, the primary goal of Victory Gardens was to free up commercial food supplies for the troops and war effort.² The emphasis was on patriotism and contributing to the national cause. In the Great Depression, the focus was more on individual and family survival in the face of widespread unemployment and poverty.
• Existing Practices: Many people in rural areas and even some in urban areas already had gardens or were familiar with food preservation techniques.³ These practices continued during the Depression as a matter of necessity, but they weren’t necessarily seen as a new or distinct movement like the Victory Garden campaigns.
• Relief Efforts: The government’s response to the Depression focused on direct relief programs, such as the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), which provided food and other necessities to those in need.⁴ While some of these programs encouraged gardening and provided land for cultivation, it wasn’t the central focus.
• Lack of Centralized Campaign: Unlike the World Wars, there wasn’t a large-scale, nationwide campaign to promote “Depression Gardens” with posters, slogans, and public service announcements. This lack of a unified message and branding might be why they aren’t as prominently remembered.

However, it’s important to acknowledge that gardening played a significant role in helping people cope with the hardships of the Depression:

• Relief Gardens: Many cities and towns established “relief gardens” or “subsistence gardens” on vacant lots and public land.⁵ These provided food for struggling families and sometimes even generated surplus that could be shared with others in the community.⁶
• Individual Efforts: Countless families relied on their own gardens, however small, to supplement their meager diets.⁷ This was especially true in rural areas where people had more land available.

In conclusion, while the term “Victory Gardens” is primarily linked to the World Wars, the practice of growing food at home and in communities was an important part of coping with the Great Depression.⁸ It just wasn’t packaged or promoted in the same way, and therefore hasn’t received the same historical recognition.