Victory Gardens: War on Waste

"It's not quite war time, although sometimes it feels like it... Endless articles on the "credit crunch", cutbacks and soaring food prices are putting a chill in the air. During WW2 the British were digging Victory gardens in squares and public parks across the country. They were growing their own food in very tight compact spaces as a response to food shortages due to the wartime restrictions on food imports. Wartime principles of eating seasonal food grown locally and organically have a message for us now.

In the heart of historic St. James's Park, the Dig for Victory allotment garden has been created to bring back the flavour of those times and encourage people to embrace the idea of growing your own. For the second year running, a small allotment garden has been created in the spirit of those from the war. Included is an Anderson Shelter (pictured), a bomb shelter made of prefab. metal sheets and secured with bags of sand. Zucchinis are growing around and over it as camouflage. The beds are raised to allow for deep rooting. Companion planting was encouraged--different plants side by side can repel insects or attract them. The approach was quite organic, although the intent was to produce crops with the highest nutritional value."

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/05/dig-for-britain-allotment-victory-gardens.php