“Victory gardens were planted in backyards and on apartment-building rooftops, with the occasional vacant lot “commandeered for the war effort!” and put to use as a cornfield or a squash patch. During World War II, sections of lawn were publicly plowed for plots in Hyde Park, London to publicize the movement.”
- Victory Gardens
Image by William Vandivert, from the LIFE Magazine collection.
NB: The specks in the sky of this image are barrage balloons.
Fantastic image. It’s now subject of discussion on Robert Elm’s show on BBC Radio London 94.9, the Notes & Queries segment, to be precise… (cos I sent it to him!)
Great image! Given the waiting lists for allotments in London, I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw this happen again. Apparently the spending cuts we’re experiencing at the moment haven’t been seen since WWII.