LOS ALAMOS HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWS
You are invited to visit the new victory garden located on the east side of the Hans Bethe House located at 1350 Bathtub Row. The garden is open to the public daily. This Saturday, June 20, you are invited to stop by from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. to learn about victory gardens in Los Alamos, take home a seedling, a few seeds, and get growing! We will be practicing social distancing and wearing masks.
The Los Alamos Historical Society began planning a demonstration victory garden in the fall of 2018. With the support of Enterprise Bank, Los Alamos Home Improvement-ACE True Value Hardware, Los Alamos Landscaping, Metzger’s Do It Best Hardware, and Ecolutions, the garden is now a reality! Our raised garden beds are a modern take on victory gardens. They hold heirloom tomato, pepper, squash, and bean plants.
Farming and gardening have a long history on the Pajarito Plateau, beginning with ancestral pueblo people and homesteaders who planted on these mesas. Victory gardens were part of a World War II government program to encourage gardening as a way to extend food rations and help the war effort. Los Alamos residents were part of this movement. In 1944 the community designated space east of Fuller Lodge lawn to be used for victory gardens. 25 by 50-foot plots were made available to anyone who wanted to start a garden.
Nationally, the victory garden program was a success. During WWII about one in seven Americans planted gardens. In 1944 these 20 million gardens produced about 30-40 percent of the fresh fruits and vegetables consumed in the United States.
We are excited to showcase this part of our history and encourage people to plant their own victory gardens. Are you growing a garden? We would love to see it! Post your pictures on our Facebook page or send an email to info@losalamoshistory.org. More information about our victory garden may be found on our website, losalamoshistory.org.
Join us! Los Alamos Historical Society is a non-profit organization that relies on members to help preserve and share our history. We are dedicated to preserving, promoting, and communicating the remarkable history and inspiring stories of Los Alamos and its people for our community, for the global audience, and for future generations.
Los Alamos Historical Society’s online programs are supported by a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the New Mexico Humanities Council.