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SUGGESTIONS TO INDUSTRIAL FIRMS ON
VICTORY GARDENS FOR EMPLOYEES
PROMOTION
Sufficient evidence is at hand to show that
vegetable growing for home use is not merely a patriotic activity but
most likely will be a very necessity if adequate nutrition of the
population, and particularly of the workers in industries necessary to
the prosecution of the war, is to be attained. For this reason, it is
not sufficient only to assist those employees to produce vegetables who
wish to do so; employers should urge and encourage all in their employ
to grow as many vegetables, fruits, and other foods as the prevailing
conditions permit.
ORGANIZATION
A manager of Victory Gardens should be placed
in charge of the project as part or all of his duties to the firm,
depending upon the extent of the company project. He should be primarily
a manager, but should be reasonably well informed on gardening, even if
competent gardeners are employed to take immediate charge of gardening
operations.
Committees of employees may attend to details.
PROCEDURE 1. Promote Victory Gardens among employees
by means of lectures, courses of instruction in gardening methods,
posters, and other devices, including prizes for most successful
gardens.
2. Find the number of employees who need land, and make a survey of
suitable land which is readily accessible either to the factory or to
the homes of employees. An effort should be made to provide at least
1000 square feet of land for each member of the employee's family, or a
plot 50 by 100 feet for a family of five.
If land is rented, a lease or other written agreement should be drawn.
3. Employees desiring plots should be required to make application on
prepared forms, and, when plots are assigned, should sign an agreement
to care for the garden and to utilize and store all of the products, or
to share surpluses with others. An accurate record should be kept of
plot assignments.
4. In larger tracts, allocate garden plots of standard sizes, say 50 by
50 feet, so that a regular arrangement of plots can be laid out. An
employee with a family of two or three would be assigned one plot, one
with four or five, two adjacent plots, and so on. Adequate paths between
blocks of plots should be provided. Plots should be marked with stakes,
with a permanent marker showing the number of the plot and the name of
the gardener.
5. Plowing and harrowing, manuring, liming, general fertilizing, and
staking of plots in large tracts should be done preferably by the
management, though special fertilization may be left to individual
gardeners. Costs of these operations and of land rent may or may not be
pro-rated to the individual gardeners, though, as a rule, at least a
nominal charge should be made for the plots.
6. Seeds, plants, supplies and tools can be purchased more
advantageously by the management and charged to gardeners. A saving may
be effectuated if tools are purchased collectively and rented or loaned
to individual users for a cash deposit. If tools are not provided by the
firm, employees should be encouraged to purchase tools in partnership
groups, and locker space for tools should be made available near the
plant or the gardens.
7. Suggested plans for planting garden plots of the common sizes
assigned should be prepared and should be either distributed or posted
conveniently. Several plans for each size should be provided to allow
some room for choice.
8. Information in mimeographed or printed form on all the different
gardening operations should be made readily available; when operations
are actually in progress, a competent supervisor should be on hand to
instruct inexperienced gardeners and to answer questions. |
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Victory Gardens
Handbook of the
Victory Garden Committee
War Services, Pennsylvania
State Council of Defense
April, 1944
TABLE OF CONTENTS
page v
page vi
page vii
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