A History of the Ministry of Information, 1939-46
5 WHAT CROPS HAVE BEEN GROWN AND TO WHAT EXTENT HOUSEHOLDS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE THEMSELVES WITH VEGETABLES FOR THE WINTER
5.1 Three questions were asked to find out what crops gardeners were growing for this winter and particularly to find out if the Ministry’s campaign to encourage gardeners and allotment holders to grow green stuff for the winter had been successful. The first asked about this year’s crops; the second was designed to find out what gardeners thought of their last year’s experience; the third was a development of this questions which asked what vegetables were grown last year, what gardeners had enough of, what they had to buy, and when they had to buy it.
5.1 2 CROPS GROWN FOR THIS WINTER
In Question 30 a number of crops were mentioned by name and the gardeners were asked whether these were being grown for winter use either to use from store, or to use from the garden, or both. The question was asked in August and winter was defined as November, December, January, February and March, thus it included a little of both autumn and spring. The main result was as follows:-
Refers to paragraph 5.1 2
TABLE 52
5.1 3 POTATOES
84% of the sample were growing potatoes and almost all of these were proposing to store their crop for use during the winter. A very small number, only 125, grew early potatoes only.
There was no significant difference between the occupation groups, nor between the urban and rural sample. There was, however, a small difference between the regions in that the Midlands had the highest proportion of gardeners who were growing potatoes for store, whereas the East and South East and North had the lowest proportion growing for store and the highest proportion growing early potatoes only to use from the garden.
| POTATOES | Total growing | % of sample | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To use from Garden only | 125 | 5.1 | 2472 | 84.6 |
| To use from store | 2167 | 87.7 | ||
| To use from garden and from store | 180 | 7.3 | ||
| All Storing | 2347 | 95.0 | ||
5.1 4 CARROTS
68.8% of the sample were growing carrots and of this number over 87% intended to store them.
| CARROTS | Total growing | % of sample | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To use from Garden only | 258 | 12.8 | 2009 | 68.8 |
| To use from store | 1649 | 82.1 | ||
| To use from garden and from store | 102 | 5.1 | ||
| All Storing | 1751 | 87.2 | ||
5.1 5 BEET
70% of the sample were growing beet for the winter and of this number 88% said that they intended to store beet. As in the case of potatoes, the proportion who intended to store was highest in the Midlands.
| BEET | Total growing | % of sample | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To use from Garden only | 241 | 11.8 | 2042 | 69.9 |
| To use from store | 1741 | 85.3 | ||
| To use from garden and from store | 60 | 2.9 | ||
| All Storing | 1801 | 88.2 | ||
5.16 ONIONS
79% of the whole sample were growing onions for the winter. Of this number 93% were growing them to store and 8% to use from the garden only.
| ONIONS | Total growing | % of sample | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To use from Garden only | 180 | 7.8 | 2294 | 78.5 |
| To use from Store | 1985 | 86.5 | ||
| To use from garden and from store | 129 | 5.6 | ||
| All Storing | 2114 | 92.1 | ||
5.1 7 TURNIPS AND SWEDES
54% of the sample were growing turnips and swedes and four-fifths of this number intended to store them. Again the proportion intending to store was somewhat higher in the Midlands.
| TURNIPS AND SWEDES | Total growing | % of sample | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To use from Garden only | 274 | 17.2 | 1589 | 54.4 |
| To use from Store | 1217 | 76.6 | ||
| To use from garden and from store | 98 | 6.2 | ||
| All Storing | 1315 | 82.8 | ||
5.1 8 PEAS AND BEANS
50% of the sample were growing peas and beans and of this number about four-fifths intended to store some for the winter.
| PEAS AND BEANS | Total growing | % of sample | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To use from Garden only | 248 | 17.1 | 1450 | 49.6 |
| To use from Store | 1135 | 78.3 | ||
| To use from garden and from store | 67 | 4.6 | ||
| All Storing | 1202 | 82.9 | ||
5.1 9 TOMATOES
42% of the sample were growing tomatoes and of this number three-quarters intended storing or bottling some part of their crop for autumn and winter use.
There was a difference between the proportions of the total sample in each of the regions who were growing tomatoes. It was highest in the East and South East - 64%, next highest in the Midlands - 40.7%, next highest in the South, South West and Wales - 33%, and lowest in the North - 30%, a difference which reflects the more favourable weather conditions in the East and South East.
| TOMATOES | Total growing | % of sample | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To use from Garden only | 239 | 19.5 | 1228 | 42.0 |
| To use from store | 932 | 75.9 | ||
| To use from garden and from store | 57 | 4.6 | ||
| All Storing | 989 | 80.5 | ||
5.1 10 PARSNIPS
54% of the sample were growing parsnips and two-thirds of these intended to store them for the winter.
| PARSNIPS | Total growing | % of sample | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To use from Garden only | 561 | 35.4 | 1586 | 54.3 |
| To use from Store | 968 | 61.0 | ||
| To use from garden and from store | 57 | 3.6 | ||
| All Storing | 1025 | 64.6 | ||
5.1 11 CELERY
Just under a quarter of the sample were growing celery for winter use and almost all of these were intending to use it from the garden.
| CELERY | Total growing | % of sample | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To use from Garden only | 657 | 96.8 | 679 | 23.2 |
| To use from Store | 18 | 2.7 | ||
| To use from garden and from store | 4 | .6 | ||
| All Storing | 22 | 3.3 | ||
5.1 12 LEEKS
About half of the sample were growing leeks for the winter and almost all of them intended to use them from the garden.
| LEEKS | Total growing | % of sample | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To use from Garden only | 1385 | 92.8 | 1493 | 51.1 |
| To use from Store | 63 | 4.2 | ||
| To use from garden and from store | 45 | 3.0 | ||
| All Storing | 108 | 7.2 | ||
5.1 13 BRUSSELS SPROUTS
Four-fifths of the gardeners interviewed were growing brussels sprouts for winter use. All of them intended to use them from the garden.
5.114 BROCCOLI
Two-thirds of the sample were growing Broccoli.
5.1 15 SPINACH
One-fifth of the sample were growing spinach for winter use.
5.1 16 KALE
40% of the sample were growing kale for the winter.
5.1 17 CABBAGES
92% of the gardeners interviewed were growing cabbages for winter use.
5.1 18 OTHER CROPS
A little under a quarter of the sample were growing other crops for winter use, these included artichokes, kohl rabi, lettuce and other crops. Cauliflowers were included with cabbages.
5.1 19 A small number of gardeners growing cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower etc., were pickling a portion of their crop and some of the tomatoes stored were being stored as chutney. Onions and shallots were also being pickled for storage and beans were being preserved in brine.
5.1 20 There were one or two differences between the occupation groups, particularly between the unskilled manual and skilled clerical workers. Of the skilled clerical workers, 37% were growing spinach, compared with only 16% of the unskilled manual workers. Again 50% of the skilled clerical workers were growing tomatoes, compared with only 37% the unskilled manual workers. By contrast 89% of the unskilled manual workers were growing potatoes compared with only 74% of the skilled manual workers and 72% of the housewives in our group. These were the most significant differences. There were no differences between the urban and rural samples.
5.2 LAST YEAR’S EXPERIENCE
5.2 1 The answers to Question 31 which asked “What was your experience with your crops last winter” were divided into two main groups; General experience and Experience about particular crops or problems.
The general experience can be analysed in some detail, but the particular experience covers such a wide field that the number of answers in any single category are too small to permit of any detailed division.
5.2 2 GENERAL EXPERIENCE
70% of our sample gave answers about their general experience. Of these about 70% stated that their experience was good or excellent. A further 27% said that their experience was not too bad or fairly good. Only 3% said that their experience was bad. The proportion giving these answers were respectively 48%, 20% and 2% of the total sample.
The proportion of the total sample saying that their results were good or excellent was highest in the rural areas, where there were 60% of all gardeners giving this answer compared with 47% of all urban gardeners. (Table 53).
5.2 3 In the occupation groups the retired persons had the highest proportion who stated that their crops had been good or excellent, the lowest proportion was found in the housewives group, but the differences were not large.
5.2 4 The north, south, south west and Wales had the highest proportion of gardeners who said that their general experience was good or excellent and the east and south east, including London, had the lowest proportion; again the differences were quite small.
Refers to Text paragraph 5.2 2
TABLE 53
“General experience with crops last winter.”
Analysis by Urban and Rural
5.2 5 PARTICULAR EXPERIENCE
The answers to this part of the question came from 84% of our sample and the answers concerned either particular crops or particular complaints about pests, diseases, weather, lack of manures etc.
In the statements about particular crops the answers have been summarised into brief statements as to whether the crop was good or bad, for example, about 5% complained that their potato crop was bad whereas 9% said that their potato crop was good, again 5% said that their onion crop was good, said that it was bad. It was noted that these specific answers referred to a tiny proportion of our sample and reflect possibly the fact that in very few cases was the crop either so good or so bad as to be remembered as such for as long as 6 or 8 months. It can, therefore, be assumed from this analysis that the general level of success is at a middle level. (Table 54)
Refers to text paragraph 5.2 5
TABLE 54
“Particular experience with crops last winter”
5.2 5 1 Question 32 asked “What vegetables did you have enough of, what did you have to buy and when was this?” It was thus possible to obtain considerable information about each of the 15 specific crops on our list.
5.2 5 2 This information enables us to make a comparison between last winter and this winter. During this year the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries has had an extensive campaign to persuade people to grow more vegetables for the winter and particularly to grow green stuff. Last winter 14% of our sample did not grow any of the Brassicae Vegetables of the Cabbage Family, so that it was particularly interesting to notice whether or not there had been an increase in any of the categories of Brassicae. We discovered that there was a considerable increase in several categories amounting to as much as 10% and that the proportion not growing any of the Brassicae this year was only 4.5% of our sample.
The crops in which there had been a marked increase in the number of gardeners cultivating them were onions 8%, beet 9%, leeks 8%, brussels sprouts 10% broccoli 12%, kale 9% and cabbage 9%.
Details are given in the table below.
Refers to paragraphs 5.2 5 1 5.2 5 2
TABLE 55
Percentage of the total Sample Growing the following crops:-
5.3 SUFFICIENCY OF CROPS GROWN LAST WINTER
The gardeners were asked whether they had enough of the crops they had grown and if not, when they had to buy them. The first analysis divides gardeners into those who grew enough for their winter use, that is to say during November, December, January, February and March and those who had to buy during this period. The results are taken crop by crop.
5.3 1 POTATOES
Of those gardeners growing potatoes over half had enough to last them through the winter.
Four-fifths of the total sample were growing potatoes. Therefore two-fifths of the total sample of gardeners were self sufficient in this crop.
| Sufficiency of Potatoes for Winter | No. of Families | % |
|---|---|---|
| Enough | 1110 | 51.2 |
| Bought | 1059 | 48.8 |
| TOTAL | 2169 | 100.0 |
| Not answered | 206 | |
| Total growing | 2375 | 81.4 |
| Not growing | 546 | 18.6 |
| TOTAL SAMPLE | 2921 | 100.0 |
5.3 2 CARROTS
70% of our sample grew carrots last winter and of this three quarters had enough for their winter use, that is to say 52% of the total sample.
| Sufficiency of Carrots for Winter | No. of Families | % |
|---|---|---|
| Enough | 1369 | 75.0 |
| Bought | 457 | 25.0 |
| TOTAL | 1826 | 100.0 |
| Not answered | 190 | |
| Total growing | 2016 | 69.1 |
| Not growing | 905 | 30.9 |
| TOTAL SAMPLE | 2921 | 100.0 |
5.3 3 BEET
A little loss than two-thirds of the sample grew beet last winter and nine-tenths of them had enough to meet their needs, that is to say 54% of all gardeners.
| Sufficiency of Beet for Winter | No. of Families | % |
|---|---|---|
| Enough | 1483 | 89.2 |
| Bought | 180 | 10.8 |
| TOTAL | 1663 | 100.0 |
| Not answered | 128 | |
| Total growing | 1791 | 61.4 |
| Not growing | 1130 | 38.6 |
| TOTAL SAMPLE | 2921 | 100.0 |
5.3 4 ONIONS
Seven-tenths of the gardeners in the sample grew onions and of these four-fifths had enough for their needs, that is to say 57% of all gardeners.
| Sufficiency of Onions for Winter | No. of Families | % |
|---|---|---|
| Enough | 1475 | 82.4 |
| Bought | 318 | 17.6 |
| TOTAL | 1793 | 100.0 |
| Not answered | 282 | |
| Total growing | 2075 | 71.0 |
| Not growing | 846 | 29.0 |
| TOTAL SAMPLE | 2921 | 100.0 |
5.3 5 TURNIPS AND SWEDES
48% of the gardeners in the sample grew turnips and swedes last year and nine-tenths of these had enough for their needs so that about 45% of all gardeners were self sufficient in this crop.
| Sufficiency of Turnips and Swedes for Winter | No. of Families | % |
|---|---|---|
| Enough | 1202 | 90.9 |
| Bought | 121 | 9.1 |
| TOTAL | 1323 | 100.0 |
| Not answered | 74 | |
| Total growing | 1397 | 47.7 |
| Not growing | 1524 | 52.3 |
| TOTAL SAMPLE | 2921 | 100.0 |
5.3 6 PEAS AND BEANS
About half of the gardeners in the sample grew peas and beans for winter use last year, and only a very small number of these bought peas and beans during the winter to supplement their own crops.
| Sufficiency of Peasa and Beans for Winter | No. of Families | % |
|---|---|---|
| Enough | 1296 | 96.2 |
| Bought | 51 | 3.8 |
| TOTAL | 1347 | 100.0 |
| Not answered | 129 | |
| Total growing | 1476 | 50.5 |
| Not growing | 1445 | 49.5 |
| TOTAL SAMPLE | 2921 | 100.0 |
5.3 7 TOMATOES
A third of the sample grew tomatoes for winter use last year and almost all of these had enough for their needs.
| Sufficiency of Tomatoes for Winter | No. of Families | % |
|---|---|---|
| Enough | 854 | 95.5 |
| Bought | 41 | 4.5 |
| TOTAL | 895 | 100.0 |
| Not answered | 100 | |
| Total growing | 995 | 34.0 |
| Not growing | 1926 | 66.0 |
| TOTAL SAMPLE | 2921 | 100.0 |
5.3 8 PARSNIPS
A little under half of the sample grew parsnips last winter and almost all of these had enough for their needs.
| Sufficiency of Prasnips for Winter | No. of Families | % |
|---|---|---|
| Enough | 1296 | 94.5 |
| Bought | 69 | 5.5 |
| TOTAL | 1365 | 100.0 |
| Not answered | 45 | |
| Total growing | 1410 | 48.2 |
| Not growing | 1511 | 51.8 |
| TOTAL SAMPLE | 2921 | 100.0 |
5.3 9 CELERY
One-fifth of the sample grew celery last winter and of these about one-tenth had to supplement their own crop by buying additional supplies.
| Sufficiency of Celery for Winter | No. of Families | % |
|---|---|---|
| Enough | 493 | 90.4 |
| Bought | 54 | 9.6 |
| TOTAL | 547 | 100.0 |
| Not answered | 33 | |
| Total growing | 580 | 20.0 |
| Not growing | 2341 | 80.0 |
| TOTAL SAMPLE | 2921 | 100.0 |
5.3 10 LEEKS
A little over two-fifths of the sample grew leeks last winter and almost all of them had enough for their needs.
| Sufficiency of Leeks for Winter | No. of Families | % |
|---|---|---|
| Enough | 1143 | 95.5 |
| Bought | 54 | 4.5 |
| TOTAL | 1197 | 100.0 |
| Not answered | 51 | |
| Total growing | 1248 | 42.7 |
| Not growing | 1673 | 57.3 |
| TOTAL SAMPLE | 2921 | 100.0 |
5.3 11 BRUSSELS SPROUTS
Over 70% of the sample grew brussels sprouts last winter and nine-tenths of those growing sprouts had enough for their needs. That is 63% of all gardeners had enough for their needs.
| Sufficiency of Brussels Sprouts for Winter | No. of Families | % |
|---|---|---|
| Enough | 1737 | 88.0 |
| Bought | 236 | 12.0 |
| TOTAL | 1973 | 100.0 |
| Not answered | 100 | |
| Total growing | 2073 | 71.0 |
| Not growing | 848 | 29.0 |
| TOTAL SAMPLE | 2921 | 100.0 |
5.3 12 BROCCOLI
54% our sample grew broccoli last winter and almost all of these had sufficient for their needs. About one-tenth had to buy broccoli during the winter.
| Sufficiency of Broccoli for Winter | No. of Families | % |
|---|---|---|
| Enough | 1382 | 91.5 |
| Bought | 124 | 9.5 |
| TOTAL | 1506 | |
| Not answered | 62 | |
| Total growing | 1568 | 53.6 |
| Not growing | 1353 | 46.4 |
| TOTAL SAMPLE | 2921 | 100.0 |
5.3 13 SPINACH
18% of our sample grew spinach last winter and only 4% of these bought additional quantities of this crop to supplement their needs.
| Sufficiency of Spinach for Winter | No. of Families | % |
|---|---|---|
| Enough | 494 | 96.4 |
| Bought | 20 | 3.6 |
| TOTAL | 514 | 100.0 |
| Not answered | 15 | |
| Total growing | 529 | 18.1 |
| Not growing | 2392 | 81.9 |
| TOTAL SAMPLE | 2921 | 100.0 |
5.3 14 KALE
About half of our sample grew kale last winter and of these almost all had enough for their needs.
| Sufficiency of Kale for Winter | No. of Families | % |
|---|---|---|
| Enough | 833 | 95.0 |
| Bought | 44 | 5.0 |
| TOTAL | 877 | 100.0 |
| Not answered | 32 | |
| Total growing | 909 | 31.1 |
| Not growing | 2012 | 68.9 |
| TOTAL SAMPLE | 2921 | 100.0 |
5.3 15 CABBAGE
83% of our sample grew cabbage last winter and of these 88% had enough for their needs and 12% had to supplement their crops by purchase.
| Sufficiency of Cabbage for Winter | No. of Families | % |
|---|---|---|
| Enough | 1995 | 87.7 |
| Bought | 281 | 12.3 |
| TOTAL | 2276 | 100.0 |
| Not answered | 137 | |
| Total growing | 2413 | 82.5 |
| Not growing | 508 | 17.5 |
| TOTAL SAMPLE | 2921 | 100.0 |
5.3 16 OTHER VEGETABLES
Only 16% of our sample grew other vegetables than those listed above and almost all of these grew sufficient of these particular crops for their needs.
| Sufficiency of Other Vegetables for Winter | No. of Families | % |
|---|---|---|
| Enough | 445 | 98.0 |
| Bought | 10 | 2.0 |
| TOTAL | 455 | 100.0 |
| Not answered | 14 | |
| Total growing | 469 | 16.0 |
| Not growing | 2452 | 84.0 |
| TOTAL SAMPLE | 2921 | 100.0 |
5.4 WHEN CERTAIN VEGETABLES WERE BOUGHT BY THOSE GARDENERS WHO GREW PART OF THEIR NEEDS FOR THEMSELVES
The month in which gardeners stated they had to buy particular crops shows when each section of our sample found their own supplies were insufficient. Up to that date the supplies they had grown had been enough for their needs. The position is listed below crop by crop.
5.4 1 POTATOES
1,059 out of 2,169 who grew potatoes had not enough to last them during the winter. Of these 14% had to start buying in November, 20% in December, 24% in January, 24% in February and 18% in March. This shows that the degree of self sufficiency varied considerably.
5.4 2 CARROTS
457 of the 826 families in our sample growing carrots had to buy carrots during the winter. The degree of self sufficiency was very similar to that of the sample growing potatoes. In November 16% had to start buying carrots, in December 23% commenced buying carrots, in January 26%, in February 22% and in March 14%.
5.4 3 BEET
The Beet position was somewhat less favourable thon that of the two previous crops.
5.4 4 ONIONS
It is difficult to interpret the result for onions since the position is obscured by the lack of supply.
5.4 5 TURNIPS AND SWEDES
The sample buying turnips and swedes appears to be less favourable than that of the sample buying potatoes and carrots, but again in this case the sample is rather small.
5.4 6 PEAS AND BEANS, TOMATOES, PARSNIPS, CELERY AND LEEKS
In the case of all these crops the numbers in the sample are too small to provide reliable results.
5.4 7 BRUSSELS SPROUTS
236 in our sample had to buy brussels sprouts during the winter, this was 12% of those who grew them. Most of these people started buying these vegetables in December, January and February showing that they had seriously under-estimated their needs for the crucial winter period.
5.4 8 BROCCOLI, SPINACH AND KALE
The numbers in this particular sample are small and no significance can therefore be attached to the analysis.
5.4 9 CABBAGES
The cabbage position appears to be a little better from the point of view of planning than that of brussels sprouts, there being a larger proportion who did not have to buy until March.
Refers to paragraphs 5.4 1 5.4 2 5.4 3 5.4 4 5.4 5 5.4 6 5.4 7 5.4 8 5.4 9