A lot of retro reprints are pretty useless as anything other than curiosities. This one, though, is genuinely useful. First published in 1945, it is a week-by-week guide of what you need to be doing and when in your vegetable garden.

Dig for Victory was a big wartime drive to get the population digging up their gardens and communal green spaces to grow the produce so vital to keeping the country fed in the face of German blockades. There was always a risk as the war drew to a close that the country’s new army of gardeners would hang up their shovels and forks and shortages would follow. This book – Dig On for Victory – worked towards ensuring that didn’t happen.

Split by month and by week, it is perfect for first-time gardeners who won’t know what they should be looking out for, or whether they are planting their seeds too soon or too late. It’s full of common sense advice, and at the back there’s a short almanac taking you through seeds and crops, outlining how much seed you need to plant for a given area and what each one will be when it has grown.

For the nostalgic reader there are also more than a smattering of vintage ads scattered throughout. They’re dated, but look great on account of the more primitive design tools available at the time.

Pair this with our other retro favourite, Keeping Poultry and Rabbits on Scraps and you have the only two books you need to start on the road to self-sufficiency.

ISBN: 978-1-84513-499-0
Price: £9.99 (£5.76 from Amazon)

Dig on for Victory

Related posts:

1. Victory Cookbook by Marguerite Patten
2. Free seeds from BBC Dig In
3. Starting with Chickens, A Beginner's Guide: Review