The garden is blooming – more of us are into GYO

Our lawns may be hit by the drought and the plants may look a little droopy but the people in the garden are blooming and we seem to be taking an ever greater interest in growing our own.

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The panel on the right from Love The Garden shows our cultivation of soft fruit and even staples like potatoes are on the increase.

And despite a little blip in 2008 we’re putting more in the compost bin.

There are a number of reasons why people are growing more.

1. It saves money.

2. It’s fresher.

3. It’s greener (in more ways than one) – as the food doesn’t have to travel from farm to supermarket before it reaches home.

4. It’s a lifestyle decision and a growing desire (pardon the pun) for people to enjoy what’s being termed ‘in-home leisure’.

Events like the World Cup, the Royal Wedding and next year’s Olympic Games offer opportunities to stay in and have fun.

Ironically the supermarkets have encouraged this with the special offers on barbecue meat and beer.

Garden lifestyle

And according to Garden Industry Monitor, this trend continues to grow, encouraged by celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver and more school gardens.

“And far from being a fad, there’s encouraging evidence from the Future Foundation that the GYO (grow your own) trend is becoming less of a novelty and is increasingly embedded into the household routine.

“Since 2009 The Future Foundation reports a 2% increase in the percentage of adults who claim to eat self-grown food at least once a week.”

And people aren’t stopping at the garden gate…

A 2010 survey revealed a 20% increase in allotment waiting lists compared with the previous ways.

For every 100 plots a local authority holds, there are at least 59 people waiting in line for one to become vacant.

Digging down into what people are growing…

Even though soft fruit is often on offer in the supermarkets it’s still a firm favourite with home growers.

Herbs have shown a real increase. the amount being grown at home up from 10% to 16% in 3 years.

The number of houses with a vegetable garden is steadily increasing.

The number of adults growing their own food is up from 25% in 2007 to 29%.

Family time in the garden

Research published by volunteering and training charity, Community Service Volunteers, found that over 40% of adults feel they do not spend enough time with their family.

The research highlights that some of the most popular family pursuits include shopping and cooking.

Garden Industry Monitor points out that over 12,000 schools and educational institutions (around half in the UK) have signed up to the Horticultural Trades Association’s School Gardening Campaign.

“Recent research by the Royal Horticultural Society to evaluate the campaign’s impact found that children who have been involved have been able to play a greater part in the home economy and have been able to take produce home, and to introduce their parents to new ingredients and styles of cooking,” says Garden Industry Monitor.

“Gardening generally was shown to boost children’s confidence, patience, and resilience – traits to which GYO lends itself particularly well.”