Give it a grow

Think you need to have a garden or allotment to grow your own? Not the case, according to Cafédirect. Their new Sow Your Own initiative aims to show that you can turn everyday objects into a micro allotment.

To prove you really can grow your own food anywhere and everywhere, green-fingered celebrities have used their imagination to cultivate their own micro allotments - with a mini mixing bowl tomato garden by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, a brace of basil-filled mugs by designer Wayne Hemingway, a cabbage-laden KitchenAid blender by chef Gizzi Erskine, a chilli pepper make-up bag by Daisy Lowe, a salad leaf tea set by her mum, fashion designer Pearl Lowe, and a handbag strawberry patch by Stella McCartney.

Food writer and TV presenter Gizzi Erskine explains, 'You don’t need acres of space to have fun growing your own food this summer, just a bit of imagination. Everyone has tons of old stuff lying about at home that you can easily convert into a mini allotment: whether it’s an old saucepan, mixing bowl or even a pair of old wellies. So give it a grow, and get involved!'

The campaign has been inspired by Cafédirect’s own pioneering work supporting small-scale tea, coffee and cocoa farmers, who grow high quality, hand cultivated crops in small plots. To help encourage budding gardeners Cafédirect will be giving away thousands of free basil, coriander and parsley herb seed packets on its Rich, Medium and Decaf Roast & Ground Fairtrade coffees.

How to create your own micro allotment

Six steps to creating your own micro allotment from instant organic garden specialist Rocket Gardens:

1. Pick your container
Handbags, mugs, teapots, saucepans, ice-cream tubs, guitar cases - the choice is yours!

2. Pick your plant
Container gardens are great for strawberries, lettuce, peppers, beetroot, spinach, tomatoes and herbs.

3. Add layer for drainage
- If cloth, line the base of your container with newspapers, carrier bags or hessian sacks.
- If possible, create drainage holes in the base of your container.
- To aid drainage, use marbles, broken-up pottery or even used styrofoam cups. Gravel, stones and pebbles are also good for giving your plant’s roots plenty of air.

4. Add soil, compost or soilless potting mix
- Check that your soil matches your plant’s requirements.
- Carrots need more specific compost, so mix in lots of sand.
- Courgettes and tomatoes are particularly hungry plants, so mix an organic fertiliser, like wormcast, into your compost.

5. Planting
- Planting seedlings or baby plants is much easier than growing seeds, as you can enjoy immediate results rather than waiting for them to pop up.
- Make a small hole and pop in your plant.
- Keep your plant watered without over-soaking the soil - this is especially important for containers without drainage holes.
- All plants like moderately fertile soil and do well in any sunny spot.

6. Put in a sunny, sheltered location
Sit back and watch your seedlings grow.

Sow Your Own growers can upload images of their inventive green-fingered efforts at www.sowyourown.net for the chance to win a unique prize. The most imaginative transformation of an upcycled everyday object into a ‘mini garden’ will win the chance to spend the morning in top chef Michael Caines’ prestigious two Michelin Star kitchen at the Gidleigh Park Hotel. This will include a lunch for two, in which winners could incorporate some of their hand-cultivated ingredients, plus wine selected by their Head Sommelier.