Digging for Victory....again!

Wouldn’t you just know it…No.10 Downing Street have started their own vegetable garden! Apparently the first harvest from their veg patch has just started to appear on the menu of the No.10 staff canteen and staff are also allowed to buy fresh vegetables to take home. Apparently they are little pricey at £1.98 for a lettuce, but as one official said

“How many people can say that their salad comes direct from the Prime Minister’s back garden?”

The Browns aren't digging for victory themselves (the patch is actually tended by staff from the Royal Parks Agency), but they are said to take a ‘keen interest’ in how their vegetables are doing (well they would say that wouldn’t they!) and staff are encouraged to post photos of their produce on the No. 10 website or their No 10 Veg Flickr gallery.

The Prime Minister is allegedly very keen to show off his patch to the ‘all party gardening group’ and is hoping to encourage others people to try their hand at growing their own vegetables.

Admittedly it is unlikely that people will jump on the bandwagon of growing their own organic veg just so they can be like the Browns (There aren’t many people I know that are desperate to emulate our Gordon), but it is at least raising awareness and getting the message into our newspapers.

So whether this is just a desperate attempt to keep up with the Obamas (and the Queen) or a cynical ploy to endear themselves to the voters, let’s give them points for at least trying and for getting veg onto the political agenda for the first time since our wartime efforts of Digging for Victory.

Related Links

>> Dig for Victory - look at the original wartime film

>> Our tips on growing veg

>> Top tips on making your own compost

>> How to grow your own strawberries

>> Ten Downing Street

10 Ideas for Inspired Recycling in the Home

1. Make compost - it's really easy. It's a source of great (free!) nutrients for your garden and you may be able to get a free or subsidised cost composting bin from your local authority. For easy steps to make compost, how to make a bin, and a handy table to show what to use and how to blend ingredients see our step by step guide to composting

2. Use toilet roll tubes or rolled newspapers as pots to grow seeds. We have an easy guide to show you how

3. Make fused plastic out of old plastic shopping bags. Threadbanger has a brilliant video showing how to fuse plastic as well as video guides to making things from it such as laptop bags or shopping bags.

4. Use empty plastic soda or water bottles to protect plants from frost

5. Make yarn and knit a bag with old plastic shopping bags

6. Use old tin foil to clean your silver jewellery. This is not only a great way to recycle but it also saves you a fortune on expensive silver cleaners and gives you fabulous looking jewellery or sparkling cutlery. We show you how here.

7. Use old ties to make bags, chair seats, iPod covers, quilts. One of our readers wrote to tell us she had attacked her husband's huge (now unused) tie collection and found that ties contain a huge amount of (beautiful) silk fabric when you pick them apart. She made a collection of ipod and cellphone covers. Since then we have come across people who make handbags, cushions, skirts and shirts and even upholster chairs. Tell us if you have some interesting uses for unloved ties.

8. Wrap parcels and gifts in newspapers instead of brown paper or giftwrap. This can look really impactful and effective.

9. Use eggshells to feed plants and keep slugs and snails at bay

10. Hold a Swishing party to swap unwanted clothes with your friends. "Swishing" is a great way to combine kindness to the planet with thriftiness and have good time into the bargain. We have lots of tips to help you make your Swish a success.