Gardening stockists note trend for producing food

A number of gardening suppliers have noticed a trend for Brits growing their own fruit and vegetables.

Homebase announced it had doubled its sales of herb and vegetable plants over the past year, while B&Q recently reported over a quarter (26 per cent) of UK citizens are now producing their own food.

Last weekend, Dobbies garden centre recorded sales of its Grow Your Own range that were 82 per cent higher than the same time a year ago.

Grow Your Own magazine editor Lucy Halsall suggested Brits are turning to their gardens and greenhouses as a way of saving cash during the recession.

"There are lots of reasons why people are becoming more favourable to growing their own," she said. "Saving money is definitely one of those."

Ms Halsall added other potential reasons for the trend include the health benefits and reduced environmental impact of food grown at home.