自种食物

We all need to eat, and when we go to buy food at the supermarket, we're spoilt for choice in the range of items available that can be turned into a delicious meal. But we often purchase food that's been mass-produced and that's travelled many miles before it ends up on our plate. So for some, growing their own food is a better option – and it tastes good too!

From growing vegetables in little pots on your balcony to tending to a small plot of land, called allotments, there are many ways to produce home-grown food. Allotments are a typically British idea, and they give people with a small or no garden, a space to plant and nurture fruit and vegetables. It can be backbreaking work digging, weeding and watering the soil, but the result is fresh, organically grown produce, contributing to our 'five-a-day' diet.

The recent Covid-19 pandemic lockdown means demand for allotments has seen a renaissance. Miriam Dobson from the University of Sheffield told the BBC that people with allotments have been spending a lot of their time on their plots, growing plenty of fresh fruit and veg – which, at times, have been challenging to source in supermarkets. She says "Coronavirus has… highlighted to people the fragility inherent within our globalised food system. In a time of crisis, interest in self-sufficiency rises."

But for those with limited space, a solution to grow your own veg lies closer to home – using pots. Once you can lay your hands on some compost, you can plant seeds. Sheila Brand lives in a third-floor flat in Rotterdam. She has managed to grow tomatoes and aubergines and is already harvesting raspberries. She told the BBC watching the plants grow "is very exciting: 'Oh it's got a new leaf!'"

As well as the benefits of saving money and enjoying tasty food, gardener Mark Ridsdill-Smith says "growing your own from a balcony or window ledge not only improves your wellbeing and immediate environment, you can actually grow a lot of veg." So, maybe it's time for us all to get planting and develop our green fingers!