Historical Society News:
The community is invited to visit the new victory garden, 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, on the east side of the Hans Bethe House at 1350 Bathtub Row,
Learn about victory gardens in Los Alamos, take home a seedling, a few seeds and get growing. The garden is open to the public daily.
Social distancing and wearing masks will be practiced at this event.
The Los Alamos Historical Society began planning a demonstration victory garden in the fall of 2018. With the support of Enterprise Bank & Trust, 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.
The 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 and 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.
The Los Alamos Historical Society is excited to showcase this part of local history and encourage people to plant their own victory gardens. Anyone growing a garden is invited to post photos on the Los Alamos Historical Society Facebook page or send an email to info@losalamoshistory.org. More information about the local victory garden may be found at losalamoshistory.org.
About the Los Alamos Historical Society
Los Alamos Historical Society is a non-profit organization that relies on members to help preserve and share local history. The organization is dedicated to preserving, promoting and communicating the remarkable history and inspiring stories of Los Alamos and its people for the 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.