Homegrown harvests flourish

More of us than ever are growing our own food, after millions took to their veg patches during lockdown. Our survey of over 2,000 GW readers found three-quarters now grow edibles – up from two-thirds in pre-pandemic days. Most grow in containers (67 per cent), while 57 per cent have a veg plot.

Seed merchants are struggling to keep up with soaring demand. Rob Smith of Suttons Seeds says quick crops like baby-leaf salads are most popular: “Even if you’ve got a tiny garden and grow a few lettuces, next year it’s like, what else can we grow?” Market gardener and no-dig guru Charles Dowding has seen subscribers to his YouTube channel double in lockdown to almost half a million. “The homegrowing boom is here to stay,” he says.