A victory garden was a small, private plot of land used to grow vegetables during World War I and World War II. People were encouraged to plant victory gardens during a time that food was rationed.
Canada was the first country to encourage backyard victory gardens during World War I, an idea that quickly spread to the U.S. and other countries. Victory gardens helped to supplement food supplies while agricultural production was down; they were also seen as a method of boosting morale and making people feel they were contributing to the war effort. Agricultural scientist George Washington Carver is credited with coining the term in his 1942 pamphlet, Nature’s Garden for Victory and Peace.