Kitchen Garden Mania

What can account for Britain's renewed love affair with the soil? Is this sudden grip of Kitchen Garden mania a global trend, I wonder. I personally believe the increased interest in home vegetable growing has something to do with our search for a better quality of life and reconnecting to nature. Apart from the simple formula that sunshine produces Vitamin D and Vitamin D counters depression, there is something immensely satisfying about the process of growing fruit and vegetables. Watching your seedlings grow evokes nurturing feelings and cradling an armful of homegrown veggies has some of the same elements of maternal pride - I am indeed very proud of my compact veg patch :-). So for those who know me well, you're probably sick of hearing my regular rants about supermarkets poor quality produce and excessive food miles. A very interesting survey revealed that one in every seven pounds in the UK is now spent at Tesco. There is no doubt that supermarkets are convenient, - but not as convenient as walking into the garden to harvest fresh vegetables whenever you want instead of purchasing overpriced hermetically sealed, refrigerated, bland food that supermarkets often provide. For me, growing a few vegetables feels like I am taking a defiant stand against the supermarket giants. I do try to grow my own veg and supplement with a locally grown organic veggie box which is delivered weekly to my home. I avoid buying any fruit and vegetables from supermarkets apart from Waitrose. This year I have grown peas, sweetcorn, watercress, baby salad leaves, swiss chard, spinach, tomatoes ( 5 varieties), rucola, strawberries, sweet peppers, beetroot and herbs ( chives, sage, basil, coriander, bay leaves, rosemary and mint) plus our huge pear tree .So this leads me to our little man - Bilal. Thought, I would to start teach him early about growing vegetables. Here he is proudly watering the tomato plants with his new mini watering can - such a quick learner and a great helper in the garden. If I may say so myself…;-) ...as always the ever proud Mama.