Apparently it's official - growing your own fruit and veg is now "cool".

The nation's gardens are overflowing with tomatoes in tubs, beetroot in beds and herbs in hanging baskets.

What might surprise you is that growing your own food is no longer the preserve of the retired, with plenty of time on their hands.

Across the country, allotments are now bursting with 30-somethings, keen to learn the essentials of growing everything from tomatoes to butternut squash and even okra.

It seems that even the most humble back garden is now sporting at least a pot of basil. The more adventurous are even trying chilli and cape gooseberries.

So what's prompting people to go back to growing vegetables?

In an age when technology is moving faster than even whiz kids can keep up with, many of us are longing to go "back to basics" - even if just for a few minutes a week.

Whether it's container gardening or an acre of self-sufficiency, thousands are realising that home-grown often tastes best.

Why do home grown vegetables taste so good?

The moment fruit and vegetables are picked, their flavour starts to deteriorate.
Their vitamin content also starts to drop. With many varieties, it can take a few days to notice the difference. With others, the decline can be much more rapid.

Why do you think a certain frozen pea producer used to make such a fuss about only taking 4 hours from "field to freezer"?!

Home-grown uses less fertilisers.
With less use of fertilisers, home-grown fruit and veg is often smaller than its supermarket counterpart.

This has an advantage: it can lead to a more concentrated flavour - delicious.

Produce ripens naturally.
Our demand for year-round availability of different vegetables and fruit means they're often picked long before they're ripe and shipped around the world, either by sea or plane.

This can lead to bland, tasteless produce.
Ripening on the plant gives a much stronger flavour.

The satisfaction...
The ancient hunter-gatherer instinct means we get a sense of satisfaction at eating our own food. There's nothing quite like sitting down to a meal where you grew some of the ingredients yourself.

You finally get to enjoy the results of your hard work.

Experts also say that growing your own veg can help keep you healthy. The fresh air, moderate exercise and resulting fresher diet can make a long-term difference to your fitness levels and immune system.

Time to get the spade out?

Check out the Great Mushroom Growing Challenge!