“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.”
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.