Gardening trend could boost uptake of greenhouses

An increasing number of homeowners are choosing to use their back gardens for small scale agricultural activities as growing your own fruit and vegetables becomes trendy.

One of those taking this route is organic gardening coach Karin Fields of Fort Lauderdale, who has gone one step further and opted to turn her front yard into a horticultural space, reports the Miami Herald.

Ms Fields is adding new plantings of vegetables on her front lawn not only to maximise the potential of the land, but also to encourage passersby to consider emulating her.

She told the newspaper: "When theyre walking dogs at night, when theyre driving by the house, they wont miss the garden. Theyll stop and look and theyll ask questions. And theyll want to do it themselves."

Ms Fields believes that well-manicured lawns are environmentally-unfriendly and supports efforts to turn residential yards into more efficient and productive spaces.

Those wishing to boost the productivity of their gardens can use a greenhouse, which is a particularly good place to grow fruit and vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers.