UK’s five million flat dwellers have the biggest challenge when it comes to finding space to grow food at home, but , according to the National Trust, there are over 600 acres of growing space available on window sills in the UK for “grow your own” .
The window sill space is equivalent to 344 football pitches and is ideal for vegetables and herbs including tomatoes, lettuce, beetroot, chard and rosemary.
The National Trust Window Food campaign is backed by Gizzi Erskine, chef and food writer, who is creating recipes which use ingredients grown on her East London windowsill.
She said: “I love cooking with fresh ingredients – it makes all the difference to the taste of the food and you can’t get fresher than picking straight from your own windowsill.
“Living in a flat, I never thought I could grow so much without a garden but my windowsills look pretty and are really productive. Hopefully I’ll never find a soggy supermarket bag of leftover lettuce at the bottom of my fridge again – everyone should give window food a go.”
The National Trust’s director general Fiona Reynolds said: “Growing ‘window food’ is an easy way to ensure your vegetables are local and bursting with flavour without breaking the bank.”
The Window Food drive is part of the National Trust’s Food, Glorious Food campaign, which has seen it unveil plans for 1,000 allotments at its stately homes and other sites.
Thu, Jul 23, 2009
Climate Change, Grow your own, UK Climate Change