As many as one in four families in the UK are planning on having a go at living the good life in 2009. And what better time to start growing your own food than in May when the ground gets warmer and the days get longer

It is no wonder that home grown food is becoming one of the most popular past-times in Britain, the advantages are endless.  It is easy, environmentally friendly, cheap, pesticide and packaging-free and immensely rewarding. As Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall says: “If you grow your own food, however modestly, you feel deeply satisfied.”

Space is not an issue: vegetables and herbs can be grown in raised beds, an allotment or just some containers on the windowsill as long as the crop is in a predominantly warm, sheltered and sunny spot.  The Food Up Front network encourages and supports people to grow food in whatever space they have available.

Seedlings that are baby plants are the best ones to begin with. The National Trust, as part of their Food Glorious Food campaign are giving away free vegetable seedlings in the May half term from participating properties.  Aside from nurseries, there are also organisations such as Rocket Gardens, who provide help and seedlings to get you started in growing your own grub.

If you are using a raised bed, to prepare the soil, turn over the ground with a garden fork and rake in some wormcast. If you are using window boxes or containers then use good compost and ensure there is adequate drainage at the bottom. Weeding is compulsory as is watering the soil during dry spells. One of the best long-term feeds is natural wormcast and this can be added with each seedling when planting. Hopefully, this will inspire you to create a wormery which will keep you in good supply as well as recycling kitchen waste.

There are some bug deterrents, for both the viral and the non-viral variety, that should be implemented. Enviro mesh, a fine mesh that can be stretched across your crop, protects against caterpillars and small bugs. If you leave slithers of orange peel on the ground, you will be able to collect the slugs feeding off it at night time and homemade scarecrows should bemuse the birds.

As for what to plant, the possibilities are endless - herbs, spinach, wild rocket, loose-leaf lettuce, peas, potatoes, asparagus, aubergines and so it goes on.  Celebrate British Tomato week at the end of May by planting some tomatoes!

On a less light-hearted note about 40% of the food we currently eat is imported, including 95% of our fruit.  This dependency on foreign foods ferried by the fossil fuels that are starting to run out is an unsustainable situation to be in.  World food reserves are at an historical low and a food shortage is looming, so there is no time like the present to start cultivating your own cuisine, both as an individual and as part of a community.  As exemplified by Michelle Obama launching the White House's first kitchen garden and summed up by Tim Smit, founder of the Eden Project and organiser of the Big Lunch “growing your own isn't a hobby - it's a necessity.”

Visit Love British Food for various links and resources on growing your own produce.

For a step-by-step guide to growing your own fruit and vegetables [click here]

To find out about the National Trust's seedling giveaway [click here]

To order some seedlings from Rocket Gardens [click here].