Home
Grow your own food
Growing your own food is becoming increasingly popular.
As well as saving you money and providing you with fresh, seasonal food, it reduces packaging and cuts the cost of transporting food to supermarkets and shops.
You don't have to use a garden either. You can use window sills or balconies, or sign up for an allotment or community garden scheme.
Benefits
There are lots of advantages to growing your own food. You can:- save money on expensive food items such as salad leaves
- get fit for free. Gardening is a form of exercise and will help you burn calories and get fresh air
- help your children to understand where their food comes from and encourage them to eat more fresh fruit and vegetables
- make sure you get your five portions of fruit and vegetables each day
- become aware of seasonal food
- make friends. Gardening as part of a group is fun and can help you feel part of the community
- reduce stress and gain a sense of achievement.
What to grow
What you can grow depends on how much space you have. For example:- small balconies or window sills - grow herbs indoors or salad leaves outside
- small garden - if you don't have any space for a dedicated food plot, plant fruit or vegetables amongst your flowers instead
- large garden - cultivate a patch of ground for fruit and vegetables or ask a neighbour if you can use some of their garden and offer produce in return.
Other options
If you don't have space at home, or want to grow a larger amount of crops, try these options:- community gardens - we have four community gardens where you can 'grow your own'
- allotments - we have four allotment sites but don't currently have any vacant plots.
