Spring has sprung and that means it’s time to, “dig in and get your hands dirty” – it’s gardening time!

For today’s post, we are going to step into the world of vintage photos and take a look at people working in their gardens from the 1930s to 1960s.

Let’s get started!

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Vintage Photos of People Tending to their Gardens 1930s-1960s

1939 photo of a woman in a cute playsuit working in her garden. What a great outfit! I need to look that cute when I garden.

Source: eBay

1940s (maybe 1950s) photo of a woman in saddle shoes holding seed packets & a garden trowel ready to plant.

Another super look! Love the rolled up jeans, the scarf around the hair and the letterman style jacket.

Further Reading: Vintage photos of people wearing saddle shoes.

Source: Etsy-therescuedphoto

The little gardener. Date unknown but how cute is a little boy on the stool watering the plants in the window? LOVE IT!

Source: Etsy-DearMacyVintage

1940s vintage photo of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company employees tending to tomatoes in a Victory Garden (via Canadian War Museum).

Victory Gardens: Victory gardens, also called war gardens or food gardens for defense, were vegetable, fruit, and herb gardens planted at private residences and public parks in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia (and beyond) during World War I and World War II. In wartime, governments encouraged people to plant victory gardens not only to supplement their rations but also to boost morale (Source).

Source: The Canadian Encyclopedia

Another 1940s photo of a woman working in a Victory Garden / farm in slacks, hair scarf and short sleeve blouse.

Source: Pinterest

One last Victory Garden photo. A woman with shorts and wide brim hat, tends a World War II-era victory garden at Breeze Hill in 1944.

Source: Smithsonian Gardens

1960s photo of a young woman with a super fun straw hat working on her flower garden.

Source: Fine Art America

“Working on a tan AND the garden”. A 1950s vintage photo of a woman in her swimsuit planting a tree in her backyard.

Source: eBay

Time to start the cleanup of the patio garden! 1940s photo.

Source: Etsy-DearMacyVintage

Need to make sure the veggies are growing just so. 1930s vintage photo.

Source: Etsy-LightSilverandPaper

July 1954: Niagara, Ontario Canada-A gardening instructor, in shirt and tie, discusses the plant he holds in his hands, with his gardening student.

Source: Library & Archives Canada

Here is another 1950s photo (July 1954) from this series…five gardening students and their teacher discuss flowers.

Source: Library & Archives Canada

I would be proud to show off my tomatoes as well, if they looked this good!

1950s photo of a very happy woman with her tomato garden.

Source: eBay

1960s family enjoying some time together working on their front yard flower garden.

Source: Fine Art America

Not all gardening has to be organic. Here is a vintage photo of a Japanese rock gardener at New Denver (village in British Colombia) continuing the picturesque tradition of oriental gardening.

Source: Library & Archives Canada

I will end this post with an image of the ‘Farmerettes‘.

Farms are just much bigger gardens, and Canadian Women’s stories must be told.

As young men went off to fight in World War II, there was a need for farm labourers in Southern Ontario. The Ontario Provincial Government responded by creating The Ontario Farm Service Force in 1941 “to recruit workers from all levels of society.” In this war effort initiative, the group with the most participation was the Farmerettes.

The Farmerettes were young women and primarily students, 16 years of age and older. They worked on fruit, vegetable, and truck farms (where produce goes to local markets). Over the summer, the Young Women’s Christian Association provided for their basic needs and supervised the work.

Looking back, Farmerettes remember the hard work they did to support the war effort and the great camaraderie they all shared. Many women have said these were “the best of summers.” The program was so popular that it continued for seven years after the war until 1952 (Source).

Further Reading on the Farmerettes:

The Lambton County Archives (my hometown area) has a fantastic online collection of images, stories & so much more on this topic. I 100% encourage you to take a read.

There is also a book entitled, “Onion Skins and Peach Fuzz-Memories of Ontario Farmerettes” by Shirleyan English & Bonnie Sitter, that you can purchase HERE.

Thank you for stopping by and hopefully you enjoyed the vintage gardening photos I shared with you today. There is just no denying the satisfaction that comes from growing your own food or tending to a beautiful flower bed. I know I’m excited to get started as I have a large balcony garden that I spruce up with flowers and hot peppers (all with a Tiki theme). I just love my garden!

Question Time! Are you a gardener? Or do plants die just by looking at them? ha! Share any thoughts on this topic in the comments section below. I love hearing from my readers!

Further Reading:

• Vintage Photos 1920s-1960s (Archived blog posts)
• 1950s / 1960s Outdoor Patio Furniture Ideas

Liz