We all need to eat, and when we go to buy food at the supermarket, we're spoilt for choice in the range of items available that can be turned into a delicious meal. But we often purchase food that's been mass-produced and that's travelled many miles before it ends up on our plate. So for some, growing their own food is a better option – and it tastes good too!

 

From growing vegetables in little pots on your balcony to tending to a small plot of land, called allotments, there are many ways to produce home-grown food. Allotments are a typically British idea, and they give people with a small or no garden, a space to plant and nurture¹ fruit and vegetables. It can be backbreaking work digging, weeding and watering the soil, but the result is fresh, organically grown produce, contributing to our 'five-a-day' diet.

 

The recent Covid-19 pandemic lockdown means demand for allotments has seen a renaissance². Miriam Dobson from the University of Sheffield told the BBC that people with allotments have been spending a lot of their time on their plots, growing plenty of fresh fruit and veg – which, at times, have been challenging to source in supermarkets. She says "Coronavirus has… highlighted to people the fragility³ inherent⁴ within our globalised food system. In a time of crisis⁵, interest in self-sufficiency rises."

 

But for those with limited space, a solution to grow your own veg lies closer to home – using pots. Once you can lay your hands on some compost, you can plant seeds. Sheila Brand lives in a third-floor flat in Rotterdam. She has managed to grow tomatoes and aubergines and is already harvesting raspberries. She told the BBC watching the plants grow "is very exciting: 'Oh it's got a new leaf!'"

 

As well as the benefits of saving money and enjoying tasty food, gardener Mark Ridsdill-Smith says "growing your own from a balcony or window ledge⁶ not only improves your wellbeing and immediate⁷ environment, you can actually grow a lot of veg." So, maybe it's time for us all to get planting and develop our green fingers!

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