We’ve had ups and downs over the last few posts. Big changes and rethinks. In this, the fourth part of my 2020 Horticultural, Garden Design and Gardening predictions I will be suggesting something at tad more superficial in the global scheme of things, but one more immediately achieved.
I predict that...
The desire to Grow Your Own will increase even beyond the heights it has experienced in the last decade.
About 15 years ago, give or take, the revival of GYO (Grow Your Own), Self Sufficiency and the Smallholder mentally became a popular movement in gardening once again. It coincided with an increased interest in organic produce and a generally broader interest and knowledge in the environment by UK gardeners. This, of course, is a great thing and any home grown produce irrespective of size, shape or even true flavour is emotionally more delicious than anything bought.
One early problem with the late 90’s/early 00’s trend was that while so many more people were growing edible crops themselves a ridiculous and surprising number of people didn’t trust these home-grown edibles as much as shop bought foods and often didn’t eat what they had grown. Hard to believe, but I encountered it on several occasions. Thankfully this seems to have passed and steadily over the last decade or more, people have realised that a veg patch or allotment, while desirable, are not required to produce delicious, nutritious and satisfying crops at home. Pots, containers, window boxes, largely ornamental beds and borders have all become viable spaces in which to grow crops for the table.
As well as a widened focus on where and how to GYO, companies producing seeds and plants have massively improved ranges on offer and provided better growing instructions making producing viable crops easy even for the most underconfident of gardeners.
The breadth of interesting fruit and vegetable seeds and young plants available now if phenomenal and having seen a steady rise over the last five years, I can see nothing but further expansion of this movement.
Think of the following when considering the value of this approach to horticulture and gardening;
Seasonality,
Shopping cost reductions,
Food miles,
Knowing your food origins,
Organic or chemical reduced production,
Personal satisfaction,
And many more.
Easy to see why people are getting more and more into this. Easier to see how in a potentially difficult economic climate that it will be of even more value.
I’ll stress here that this isn’t a criticism of British veg growers, who are actually excellent in the main and produce high quality food. This is an affirmation of all of our abilities to grow wonderful plants, take pride in our work and enjoy the fruits of our labours.