Growing food a good education for kids

Growing fruit, vegetables and herbs in the garden, greenhouse or allotments can be a good way to introduce kids to healthy food and activities, it has been claimed.

Following recent research from LV= showing people in some areas could be waiting up to 40 years for an allotment, Soil Association spokesperson Clio Turton commented that horticulture can be a good tool for teaching.

"If kids are growing their own, they are more likely to try vegetables and fruits and be excited by it rather than seeing eating greens as a chore," she said. "Its a real educational thing."

The expert added houses with gardens tend to be worth more and suggested the social element of horticulture can be good for children too.

According to the LV= study, there are currently 83,000 people on waiting lists for allotments, with six million interested in obtaining their own patch of land to grow food.