The Dig for Victory wartime campaign spurred Britain's population on to an enthusiastic and nationwide drive to grow our own food. Now, with the chill winds of the recession close behind us, many families have once more signed up for the practical benefits and sense of spiritual well being which comes from growing one's own vegetables and flowers in an urban allotment. Alec Bristow's 1940 book was the classic of the period, and encouraged thousands of families to take up the hobby.