You don’t need a big garden to grow your own veg

In the UK, there are approximately 27 million people who partake in gardening. This is a huge portion of the 64 million that currently reside in this country with about £5 billion being spent yearly. The HTA states that the market for gardening is ‘buoyant’ and has seen steady growth over the last 10-15 years due to the amount of disposable income increasing over that time.

Despite the popularity of gardening, the average size of UK gardens are reducing due to the trend towards apartments and shared living. The average UK garden is 14m2, and for 25-44 year olds it is 12m2, but for older members of society aged 45+ it is 15m2. The trend towards apartments rather that houses is expected to continue as the UK has the same population size as France but less than half its land. Currently 14% of the UK live in apartments, a small amount compared to the 57% in Germany, 66% in Spain, and an average of 48% across Europe.

As well as gardening for aesthetics, a number are growing their own fruit and veg at allotments, or in their own back garden. Growing your own vegetables are positive steps towards having a more sustainable lifestyle and an even more relevant conversation when considering recent global lockdowns. Since not everyone has access to a garden, a company called Vegepod has developed a wide product range of award winning, self-contained, raised garden beds enabling users to easily and effectively grow their own pesticide free vegetables making the ability to grow your own, available to everyone – not just those with gardens

Aston spoke to Simon Read from Vegepod to discuss the research in further detail and offer solutions.

Photo by Jonathan Hanna on Unsplash