Have you ever wanted to grow your own fresh, organic fruit and vegetables, eliminate wasteful packaging and reduce food bills? Many people do and the list of benefits is impressive.

Research has revealed that gardeners sleep better, have better eating habits, are less likely to suffer from stress-related illness and can maintain good joint mobility well into old age. Fresh air, watching wildlife and getting your hands in the soil are all good for the soul. Gardening can be adapted to suit all ages, levels of experience, disabilities, time constraints, budgets and tastes, as well as unbridled ambition.

Gardening can be turned into a family activity. It brings the generations together in a common purpose and is an opportunity to bond, nurture and repair relationships. The benefits don’t just stop there.

Organically grown fruit and vegetables cost less and taste far better than supermarket alternatives. Grown without chemicals or pesticides and picked and eaten at the peak of freshness, they retain all their vitamins and minerals. You can eat the very best produce when it is in season; a much better idea than eating out-of-season produce that has been flown in from thousands of miles away. Then there is the sheer pleasure of looking at a bed of crisp greens, herbs or chillies, knowing that you are responsible for producing them.