Dig On for Victory: Mr. Middleton's All-year-round Gardening Guide from 1945

by C.H. Middleton

Mr Middleton was the Alan Titchmarsh of his time, and that time was during the last war, when the nation hung on to his every word during his BBC radio programmes on gardening. He was the first media gardener, exhorting us to Dig for Victory, Dig for Dear Life, and (as in this book) advising us that "An Allotment is like the army. The first month is the after that you begin to enjoy it". In 2008 Aurum re-published with success his wartime book Digging for Victory; now here is a second, first published in 1945 - a guide to what to plant, and how, and when, all through the year, from Celeriac to Strawberries. Reproduced in facsimile, it is full of sensible tips, as well as period advertisements for Mushrooms as a War Food Crop and The Value of Cloches (since, "as Mr Middleton advises us, 'Available food will have to be shared with a starving Europe, which may mean even greater sacrifices for us'"). Qualcast advertise their mowers, even though they admit no new ones have been made since 1940, forcing the old ones "to do sturdy and efficient work through the war". And, as Mr Middleton reflects, looking towards a new post-war dawn of peace, "Won't it be grand when we can sit on the old garden seat, and listen to the birds instead of the sirens...?" Sage, gruff, touching and especially relevant to these new times of thrift, Mr Middleton's All-Year-Round Gardening guide is the perfect gift for 2009. Mr Middleton was the BBC's "famous gardener" on the radio during the war.

128 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2009

Reviews

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not really a book to sit down and read in one go, but I did enjoy it nonetheless.
It is divided into two main sections: the first giving a week by week description of all the work that is needed in the garden,and the Next an A-Z of gardening (plants, pests and techniques etc).
It is fascinating to read from a historical perspective, especially looking at the reproductions of all the old adverts, but I have also picked up quite a few useful tips to use in my own garden.