Plant grower sees 600% surge in demand
A CORNISH business which sells plants has barely been able to cope with a 600% surge in demand as a nation under coronavirus lockdown turned to gardening.
Rocket Gardens has seen demand for its organic vegetable, herb and fruit plants sprout like never before during the past seven weeks as Britons turned to self sufficiency.
The Helston-based business saw sales increase by 600% since the lockdown began and has been posting plants to destinations across the UK – a total of 20,000 gardens, vegetable patches, allotments and window boxes in cities such as Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and London, as well as rural areas including the Isles of Scilly and Scottish Highlands.
Mike Kitchen, founder of Rocket Gardens, said demand was so high he was able to offer employment to people who have found themselves out of work, while ensuring a safe working environment in line with social distancing guidelines.
During the past few weeks his farm has more than doubled its workforce and is offering paid work experience opportunities to students back at home during the lockdown.
In 2020, Rocket Gardens will have sown well over two million extra seeds to keep up with the additional demand.
Mr Kitchen said: “Our primary goal has always been to educate and empower the nation to grow their own and eat seasonally. We hope that this dramatic peak in interest will continue to rise beyond coronavirus. We would love to see the nation make some permanent changes to their mindsets with regards to becoming more self-sufficient.”
Rocket Gardens is not the only Westcountry horticultural business to profit during the lockdown. The restrictions led to a surge in orders for South West garden supplies firm Suttons, with millions of seed packets sold and 150,000 new customers since the lockdown began. Online sales for seeds and plants have soared since March, with vegetables initially coming out tops when panic buying left the supermarket shelves empty.
Rocket Gardens was started when Mr Kitchen began growing his own vegetables at home in a bid to emulate the classic TV comedy The Good Life. But, when growing vegetables to feed his own family turned out to be too difficult, he set up a business to encourage others to have a go. It proved a success and now counts celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and TV gardener Alan Titchmarsh among its fans.