Most British people have heard of Dig for Victory and recognise the iconic logo of a boot pushing a spade into the soil. Despite victory being in sight by 1945, the government knew that food supplies were perilous and shipping still desperately needed for the raw materials of war. These famous guides showed people fighting on 'the Home Front' exactly what to do each month to put wholesome food on the family's table from their gardens and allotments. In Dig for Victory: Monthly Growing Guides author John Harrison shares twelve growing guides from the time. Together with his commentary written as a gardener rather than a historian, he clearly explains what's changed and why in modern gardening practice, which is less than you might expect in 80 years. He also provides context for readers as to the background of each guide based in part on research but most importantly the experiences and accounts of those who were there.
The famous wartime monthly growing guides that showed a nation how to feed itself from their gardens and allotments with nutritious, healthy crops. The government's 1945 Dig for Victory monthly guides from World War Two helped win the war on the Home Front and became the basis of the grow your own movement. With a simple, straightforward style anyone can follow, they are as useful today as they were then. Most British people have heard of Dig for Victory and recognise the iconic logo of a boot pushing a spade into the soil. Despite victory being in sight by 1945, the government knew that food supplies were perilous and shipping still desperately needed for the raw materials of war. Even after the war was finally won, food continued to be a priority and arguably the Dig for Victory campaign was the longest in the war being waged by the people from 1939 right through to the end of rationing in 1954. Bestselling gardening author John Harrison's commentary clearly explains what has changed and why in modern gardening practice, which is less than you might expect in 80 years. He also provides context for readers as to the background of each guide based in part on research but most importantly the experiences and accounts of those who were there. By following these easy guidelines, even a complete novice can put fresh wholesome food on the family's table all year round.
This War is a Food War...' In 1941 Lord Woolton, Minister for Food, was determined that the Garden Front would save England: 'Dig for Victory' was the slogan, digging for dinner the reality. With food imports dwindling the number of allotments grew, millions opted to 'Spend an Hour with a Hoe' instead of an hour in a queue, and the upper classes turned lawns, tennis courts and stately gardens over to agriculture. The national diet was transformed, with swedes grown in the place of oranges and hapless children sucking on carrot lollies; evacuees grew their own meals and bomb sites sprouted allotments. Vegetables ruled the airwaves with Mr Middleton's 'In Your Garden' whilst Home Guard potatoes became the favourites of the Kitchen Front. This is a fully illustrated look at the time when gardening saved Britain.
- Rediscover the famous wartime gardening broadcasts by the original gardening media celebrity - Taps into the thriving market for books on allotments and growing your own produce; there are 300,000 allotments in the UK - WWII nostalgia books continue to be successful; Eating for Victory [978-1843172642] sold 12,000 copies - Recent BBC series Grow Your Own Veg was hugely popular with viewers - Perfect nostalgic impulse buy for xmas '08
- The follow-up to 2008's reissue of Mr Middleton's Digging for Victory - A facsimile reissue of a 1945 wartime gardening guide - By the wartime BBC gardening guru, Mr Middleton - Full of fascinating period advertisements and handy tips for money-saving vegetable and fruit growing - Perfect Christmas gift for credit-crunch times
Generous-hearted and wickedly insightful, The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing is the New York Times bestselling novel by Melissa Bank The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing maps the progress of Jane Rosenal as she sets out on a personal and spirited expedition through the perilous terrain of sex, love, relationships, and the treacherous waters of the workplace. Soon Jane is swept off her feet by an older man and into a Fitzgeraldesque whirl of cocktail parties, country houses, and rules that were made to be broken, but comes to realise that it's a world where the stakes are much too high for comfort. With an unforgettable comic touch, Bank skilfully teases out universal issues, puts a clever new spin on the mating dance, and captures in perfect pitch what it's like to come of age as a young woman. 'This chronicle of a New Yorker's relationships has a wit and perceptiveness that singles it out from the crowd' Guardian 'As hilarious as Girls' Guide is, there's a wise, serious core here' Wall Street Journal 'A sexy, pour-your-heart-out, champagne tingle of a read-thoughtful, wise, and tell-all honest. Bank's is a voice that you'll remember' Cosmopolitan
It's wonderful to grow your own fruit and vegetables but what do you do when it all ripens at once? How do you cope with the glut which threatens to overwhelm you? Will help all those who grow their own fruit and vegetables to store their produce properly so that it will last for months and feed the family when the garden's bare. Easy and practical advice on how to bottle, dry, freeze and even salt home grown fruit and vegetables. Discover the taste of your delicious homemade jams, chutneys and ketchups. John and Val Harrison reveal just what you can do with that bountiful harvest and share their 30 years' experience of growing fruit and vegetables and you'll never waste another tomato or courgette again. Praise for John Harrison: 'Britain's greatest allotment authority'. Indpendent on Sunday.
Growing for 100 - the complete year-round guide for the small-scale market grower. Across North America, an agricultural renaissance is unfolding. A growing number of market gardeners are emerging to feed our appetite for organic, regional produce. But most of the available resources on food production are aimed at the backyard or hobby gardener who wants to supplement their family's diet with a few homegrown fruits and vegetables. Targeted at serious growers in every climate zone, Sustainable Market Farming is a comprehensive manual for small-scale farmers raising organic crops sustainably on a few acres. Informed by the author's extensive experience growing a wide variety of fresh, organic vegetables and fruit to feed the approximately one hundred members of Twin Oaks Community in central Virginia, this practical guide provides: Detailed profiles of a full range of crops, addressing sowing, cultivation, rotation, succession, common pests and diseases, and harvest and storage Information about new, efficient techniques, season extension, and disease resistant varieties Farm-specific business skills to help ensure a successful, profitable enterprise Whether you are a beginning market grower or an established enterprise seeking to improve your skills, Sustainable Market Farming is an invaluable resource and a timely book for the maturing local agriculture movement.
During its thirty years on television, "The Victory Garden's" perennial mission has been to share sensible and sage advice that makes gardening both fun and easy. Now, the nation's oldest and most popular gardening program is proud to present The Victory Garden Companion, an indispensable guide that offers the best in gardening expertise in a straightforward and friendly manner, inviting gardeners of all levels to dig in and get their hands in the soil. Moreover, host Michael Weishan shows budding landscapers how to garden well, providing the technical and aesthetic fundamentals essential to creating a comfortable, beautiful, and rewarding garden. The Victory Garden Companion begins by showing you how to use pencil and paper to map out the garden of your dreams, and how to factor in all the stylistic, climactic, and environmental elements related to your particular location. From assessing your area's unique microclimate and sun and shade patterns to making your own landscape plan, Michael Weishan and coauthor Laurie Donnelly demonstrate in a clear and understandable fashion how to design an outdoor living space that complements the look and feel of your home. While setting the foundation for good gardening, The Victory Garden Companion also covers all aspects of landscaping, from creating hedges and designing perennial borders to treating your soil and selecting foundation plants. Michael and Laurie show you how to create a water garden, build a backyard terrace, plant a vegetable garden, and introduce many other amenities to the urban, suburban, or rural garden. Filled to the brim with creative ideas, weekend projects, and inspired gardens, readers can pick and choose from a myriad of undertakings, whether it's container gardening, laying sod, or creating a flower bed. With more than 250 lavish illustrations, troubleshooting tips, and informative charts of tried and true species of plants and flowers, The Victory Garden Companion is also an invaluable resource that gardening enthusiasts will turn to again and again throughout the year. Perfect for both serious landscapers and those who want to focus on smaller projects, The Victory Garden Companion is a must-have for novices and experienced gardeners alike.
