Kingston squares
March 24, 2009 at 9:33 pm 1 comment
In 1943-45 (at least), a bunch of Kingston neighbors organized a victory garden with the help of a local RI State College (now University of Rhode Island) professor and several local property owners.
The group collaborated on the purchase of fertilizer, seeds, and rototilling. Each family could sign up for 4000- or 2000-square foot plots.
The same pattern of neighbors organizing community garden spaces together was repeated throughout Rhode Island and throughout the country. What was unique about the Kingston Victory Gardens was that the neighbors gardened side-by-side with professors from the the RI State College Extension Service. What the professors learned from their experience on the ground in Kingston, they could share with gardeners throughout the state through the outreach of the Extension Service. This program continues today as URI Cooperative Extension.
You can find correspondence, plot plans, gardener rosters, and other materials relating to the Kingston Victory Gardens at the Pettaquamscutt Historical Society in Kingston Village.
Entry filed under: community gardens, gardens, Kingston, Pettaquamscutt Historical Society, research, Rhode Island, RI State College, South Kingstown, URI, URI Extension Service, Victory Gardens, World War II. Tags: community gardens, gardens, Kingston, Pettaquamscutt Historical Society, research, Rhode Island, RI State College, South Kingstown, URI, URI Cooperative Extension, Victory Gardens, World War II.
1. Rachel Sholly | May 5, 2009 at 8:11 am
That URI Cooperative Extension link is actually and old one. The current link is http://www.uri.edu/cels/ceoc/ and it’s now called the CELS (College of Environment and Life Sciences) Outreach Center.