The Wartime Garden

A fully illustrated history of the Dig For Victory movement during the Second World War: the time when gardening saved Britain.

‘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.

This is a fully illustrated history of the time when gardening saved Britain. Learn how:
- 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 nostalgic look is ideal for anyone interested in the lives of ordinary British civilians during the Second World War, lovers of gardening and food historians alike.