Cooler than Beth Ditto

Seed sales have risen by 60% since the beginning of the credit crunch as consumers tighten their belts and prepare for an era of food rationing

Growing vegetables has moved from being a pursuit for wrinkly old allotment holders to an essential element of survival for families everywhere. Yesterday I got a bunch of rainbow carrots, as well as a bunch of rainbow chard from an allotment owner.

I’m eating the carrots raw for lunch today, and on a salad for dinnner –they’re so sweet and so pretty, and I don’t want to ruin them by cooking them.

I don’t know what to do with the chard. Normally I saute greens in a little olive or sesame oil, with onions and/or garlic. But should I do that with chard? Or is there something more interesting? It’s seriously lovely. I found myself so taken with it last night–each stem is a different, vibrant color–that I lovingly hand-dried each huge, fan-like leaf. Unfortunately, I threw away the stems. Just now I saw an article on chard that says you can do all kinds of things with the stems. So any ideas what I can do with chard LEAVES?
Concern for the environment, food price rises, worries about healthy eating and the credit crunch have led to packets of veg seeds flying off the racks, with sales reportedly rising by up to 60% on last spring.
Many suppliers say vegetable seeds are now more popular than flower seeds.
A survey by the mySupermarket website highlighted a dramatic rise in vegetable prices. Lettuce, for example, was up by 17% on the year before and potatoes by 19%. Tomatoes rose by 6%.
The increase in the price of farmland, which is bucking the downturn in most property, coupled with poor harvests for some crops, is likely to keep the prices rising.
Clare Dixey, of the UK seed supplier Thompson & Morgan, said sales of vegetable seeds had risen by more than 40% in the last two years and vegetables now accounted for almost two-thirds of its seed sales.
She said: “Since 2006 our sales have been very strong but they have really gathered momentum over the last 12 months. There is definitely a credit crunch effect going on. For a £1.99 packet of seeds you can produce a large amount of crops that you can harvest week after week.
“People are more conscious of where their food comes from and they would rather have plot-to-pot runner beans than have 10-day-old ones shipped over from Kenya. It is far cheaper and far healthier.”
Thompson & Morgan’s bestselling seeds include mixed salad, broad beans, carrots, tomatoes and beetroot. Though the company produces exciting new varieties, Dixey said gardeners tended to prefer traditional ones.
“These days people are looking at tightening their belts and saving money where they can, and they realise that growing their own vegetables makes a difference to the purse.”
Tim Rumball, the editor of Amateur Gardener magazine, said: “Anything that gets people gardening is good. People want the shortest distance possible from plot to plate.
“People now realise that you don’t need a huge garden to grow your own - you can supply yourself with veg from just a few pots on a patio.”
Rumball added that only time would tell if this was a passing fad.
“It might be fashionable at the moment, but it involves a lot of effort and pests can be a real nuisance when you’re trying to grow things organically.”

Some seeds that grow well anywhere

Leaf beet “rainbow chard”
The leaves can be used as a substitute for spinach, while the stems make a great gratin. Available from the Organic Gardening Catalogue.
Pumpkin Jack Be Little
A mini-pumpkin ideal for roasting whole. Available from Tamar Organics.
Climbing bean Blauhilde
Looks pretty as well as providing you with fresh beans all summer long. Available from Thompson & Morgan.
Carrot ‘Rainbow’
These carrots come in yellow, white and orange. Not the easiest to grow, but the payoff is the super-sweet flavour. Available from Nicky’s Nursery.