Three pronged benefits of growing your own

In a time when many across the nation are concerned about the environment, food prices and fuel prices are rocketing skywards and weather conditions seem to be changing at a rate of knots, making sure that you are doing your bit for the environment has never been so essential.

Gardeners can help reduce their carbon footprint, save money and keep their family healthy by investing in a greenhouse and growing their own food.

If all gardeners were to do so, it would mean that not as much food would have to be flown from foreign countries to UK airports, sparing the environment from jet fuel emissions.

It would also cut the emissions of the lorries that transport the food to supermarkets.

From a personal point of view, fresh home-grown food is more nutritious than food that has travelled or lain on a shop shelf for days.

It should also be free of chemicals and other pollutants, meaning it is as healthy as can be.

Finally the cost of buying food can be enormous these days, with large families weekly shops costing hundreds of pounds, when many items could be grown at home.