Often overlooked in historical discourse, kitchen gardening serves as a vital nexus of social, religious, and educational values. This thesis examines the dynamic evolution of kitchen gardening practices across New York State from the mid-nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century, tracing the trend during suburbanization and its intertwining with educational reforms and the school garden movement. Through an interdisciplinary lens, this study unravels the intricate influences that shape these gardens, including social class, aesthetics, pedagogy, religion, and influential movements such as the Country Life Movement and Nature Study Movement. Moreover, it investigates the role of school gardening in supporting society during wartime and its enduring influences in the growing of home gardens and subsistence gardens after the decline of school gardens in the mid-twentieth century.