Multiple benefits to growing food

Gardeners have been advised to start a family vegetable garden to combat their economic woes.

According to Nutritiondata.com, growing provisions can save money and offer nourishment.

It suggests the freshest foods come straight from the garden and advises that fruit and vegetables can lose nutrients and flavour if they spend time in storage or transit.

There is also an environmental bonus to growing food in the garden or greenhouse in that it saves energy and fossil fuels.

"An hour in the garden will get your heart pumping and your muscles toned," the website advises. "It also clears the mind and erases the days stress."

With kids often being reluctant to eat healthy food, gardening can be a good way of introducing them to it, according to the article.

A number of community gardens have sprung up around the US in recent weeks, with one example being a Miami project that will help feed the areas hungry.