Growing our own
Growing our own
It seems that people are taking to gardening in a big way. But no longer just as a relaxing hobby - spurred on by the sagging economy, the new school of gardeners are 'growing their own' to save money and eat healthier.According to the Horticultural Trade Association (HTA), over the past couple of years there has been a steady increase in the sales of seeds of edible plants and young vegetables. It says this trend is set to continue this spring – as yet more people have a go at cultivating their own crops, and in response to the recession are looking for cheaper, better food, to spend more time in the their garden and less time in restaurants and on holiday.
Along with vegetables, the HTA also anticipates that there will also be an increase in the number of people growing their own fruit this year as well. Coupled with strong media interest and spurred on by high profile celebrities such as Jamie Oliver, many people will decide to take that first step towards growing their own this season.
HTA’s Director General David Gwyther said, “The key is for those people who are going to try growing their own produce for the first time this year to have success – and then they will be encouraged to continue growing in subsequent years. In time this will help to develop a whole new generation of gardeners – which is great news for the garden industry.”
Wednesday, 18 March 2009 10:49