Cultivating victory.

Sure, you know America sent rows and rows of soldiers into World War II--but did you know about the rows and rows of rutabagas?

And tomatoes? And celery? And potatoes, turnips, and corn?

The war, which lasted from 1941 to 1945, meant everybody had to do their part--even if it meant plowing up a yard and planting vegetables. These home-grown food plots were called Victory Gardens. Growing your own food meant more could be spared for the soldiers fighting in Europe. To replace hard-to-find sugar, people grew sugar beets. Maybe they didn't do as much for the taste of corn flakes, but the world faced bigger problems.

To defend freedom and democracy, lots of people rolled up their sleeves went to work. The Saturday Evening Post was one of the magazines that decided to tell the story, with a series of covers showing hometown people at work in their home-grown gardens.

The illustrations, by some of the most famous artists of the day, showed kids and grownups contributing to the war effort--and having a good time doing it. The Post also published cover after cover on patriotic themes. There were soldiers, sailors, airmen, and many illustrations of ordinary people at home doing the hard day-to-day work that kept the country running while the armed forces battled tyranny.

Even kids pitched in, demonstrated by one famous cover showing a young boy digging in his piggy bank to buy war bonds.