Riz
21st February 2009, 04:38 PM
People growing own fruit and vegetables to beat recession as Good Life returns
The Good Life is back, with more than a quarter of people in Britain growing their own fruit and vegetables in an effort to beat the recession.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/howtogrow/fruitandvegetables/4682111/People-growing-own-fruit-and-vegetables-to-beat-recession-as-Good-Life-returns.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01000/The-Good-Life-220_1000343f.jpg The Good Life with Richard Briers and Felicity Kendal Photo: BBC
The 1970s sitcom The Good Life, starring Felicity Kendal and Richard Briers, made it fashionable for people to grow their own food in back gardens or allotments.
Now it appears the credit crunch is encouraging others to do the same thing but this time to counter rising food prices and help the environment.
The survey of more than 1,000 people by ICM found 26 per cent are growing their own fruit and vegetables. Three quarters said they were doing it because of money, saving more than £200 a year on buying food. However the health benefits of eating home grown vegetables and helping the environment were also important reasons. Almost all the respondents said they did it for fun or "the good life".
Meanwhile B&Q, the UK's largest outdoor goods retailer, has reported a 27 per cent increase in sales of vegetable seeds while sales of flower seeds are down three per cent. The best-selling seeds are the more traditional British vegetables – onion, carrots, peas, beans, tomatoes and lettuce. Sales of ready to plant vegetables are growing even faster, up more than 40 per cent on last year.
However the retailer has reported a problem in people no longer knowing how to grow fruit and vegetables. To address the "skills gap" staff around the country are being sent on workshops in order to give better advice to customers and a calendar showing the right time to plant is being given away. New seeds and plants on sale give step-by-step advice on how to garden.
Steve Guy, B&Q horticulture manager, said younger people are getting interested for the first time.
"In the past growing fruit and vegetables tended to be a hobby for the older generation who had had the time to practice and perfect their growing technique over a period of time whereas now we're seeing a swell of popularity for grow your own across the whole population and particularly with younger generations who haven't had the time to practice," he said.
Hilary Benn, the Environment Secretary, has been urging more people to grow their own in order to boost food security, and Guy Barter, head of gardening advice at the Royal Horticultural Society, said the organisation has had an increase in inquiries about growing food in recent years.
"There has been an enormous drive towards grow your own," he said. "Saving money is the least of it, people want to know where their food comes from and that it is not doused in chemicals."
The Good Life is back, with more than a quarter of people in Britain growing their own fruit and vegetables in an effort to beat the recession.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/howtogrow/fruitandvegetables/4682111/People-growing-own-fruit-and-vegetables-to-beat-recession-as-Good-Life-returns.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01000/The-Good-Life-220_1000343f.jpg The Good Life with Richard Briers and Felicity Kendal Photo: BBC
The 1970s sitcom The Good Life, starring Felicity Kendal and Richard Briers, made it fashionable for people to grow their own food in back gardens or allotments.
Now it appears the credit crunch is encouraging others to do the same thing but this time to counter rising food prices and help the environment.
The survey of more than 1,000 people by ICM found 26 per cent are growing their own fruit and vegetables. Three quarters said they were doing it because of money, saving more than £200 a year on buying food. However the health benefits of eating home grown vegetables and helping the environment were also important reasons. Almost all the respondents said they did it for fun or "the good life".
Meanwhile B&Q, the UK's largest outdoor goods retailer, has reported a 27 per cent increase in sales of vegetable seeds while sales of flower seeds are down three per cent. The best-selling seeds are the more traditional British vegetables – onion, carrots, peas, beans, tomatoes and lettuce. Sales of ready to plant vegetables are growing even faster, up more than 40 per cent on last year.
However the retailer has reported a problem in people no longer knowing how to grow fruit and vegetables. To address the "skills gap" staff around the country are being sent on workshops in order to give better advice to customers and a calendar showing the right time to plant is being given away. New seeds and plants on sale give step-by-step advice on how to garden.
Steve Guy, B&Q horticulture manager, said younger people are getting interested for the first time.
"In the past growing fruit and vegetables tended to be a hobby for the older generation who had had the time to practice and perfect their growing technique over a period of time whereas now we're seeing a swell of popularity for grow your own across the whole population and particularly with younger generations who haven't had the time to practice," he said.
Hilary Benn, the Environment Secretary, has been urging more people to grow their own in order to boost food security, and Guy Barter, head of gardening advice at the Royal Horticultural Society, said the organisation has had an increase in inquiries about growing food in recent years.
"There has been an enormous drive towards grow your own," he said. "Saving money is the least of it, people want to know where their food comes from and that it is not doused in chemicals."