Down the allotment is off on holiday today – for a week of sun and cultural explorations in Berlin where, a quick Wikipedia search reveals, this impressive photo was taken:

The image (right) shows Berliners cultivating vegetables by the ruins of Germany’s former parliament building the Reichstag, in June 1946.

It appears allotment gardens were as important behind enemy lines as in wartime Britain, where Lord Woolton’s Dig for Victory slogan was created to encourage home grown produce.

You can't help but wonder how well people would survive nutritionally in 2007 were lines to the supermarkets’ rural suppliers across the globe cut - we've become so dependent on convenience food and having luxuries like strawberries and kiwis all-year-round.

I’m sure our plot’s current paltry yield wouldn’t be enough to sustain us in a rationing crisis, but it’s nice to know we've dug at least a few bites of independence from the over-packaged, over priced, often bland-tasting and unnaturally uniformly-shaped offerings from the likes of Walmart and Tesco.
And it’s been catching on for some time – an ‘institute for the obvious’-type survey for UKTV’s series Digging for Victory this week found the modern allotment holder is more likely to grow exotic vegetables such as pak choi and pumpkins than potatoes or peas.
Of 3,000 allotment-holders surveyed researchers found those aged under 55 were likely to grow rocket, purple sprouting broccoli and even chillies, alongside more traditional produce such as tomatoes – with many attempting to do so organically.
More than six in ten (61 per cent) of those questioned were under 55 and two-thirds (66 per cent) were working professionals rather than the stereotype of a retired person with a hobby.
The research also found eight in ten people grow their own to avoid paying supermarket prices and two-thirds do so because they can be sure it is organic.
The top five vegetables for growers under 55 were rocket, mange tout, chillies, purple sprouting broccoli and squash.
The top five for the over 55s were tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, onions and cabbage.
I haven’t done such a comprehensive survey at Dingle Vale – I’d be interested to hear what other fruit and vegetable gardeners are growing in Liverpool this year, and what’s proving successful.

I’ve one friend (under 55 – like it matters…) who’s trying out yellow carrots this year as the soil at his allotments on the other side of Sefton Park is not working for the traditional orange varieties.

I've also come across one (over-55) allotment holder with a great recipe for marrow moonshine – not exactly an exotic veg but apparently the effects are pretty wild - perhaps the younger generation are missing a trick with our posh salads?

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