For a lot of vegetarians, food isn’t just about what’s on your plate, it’s about where it comes from and how it’s grown too. Whether that’s opting for organically grown veg at the supermarket or making a regular trip to your local farmers’ market or farm shop, there are lots of simple switches you can make to improve the quality of your food, but what if you want to go further and grow your own?

Tiny kitchens, big flavours

If you live somewhere with limited outdoor space, you’ve probably become an expert at improvisation. Windowsills become mini herb gardens, balconies host grow bags of cherry tomatoes and before you know it, even the most modest kitchen can turn out a whole host of dishes with a home-grown element. 

Anyone who has tried to coax courgettes from a single pot on a balcony though knows the frustration of cramped growing conditions. Sure, the harvest is rewarding, but there’s only so much you can do when space is tight. That’s why, for many vegetarians, the ultimate lifestyle upgrade isn’t a flash new kitchen – it’s a bigger patch of earth.

The allotment advantage

Of course, not everyone has a garden big enough to house a veggie empire.  One way to work around this is to get an allotment. Allotments have an incredible heritage in the UK and according to the Royal Horticultural Society, they are more popular than ever, with long waiting lists in many areas.

An allotment can transform your vegetarian lifestyle, putting seasonal, organic produce right at your (hopefully green)  fingertips. While they don’t look huge at first glance, you can grow an awful lot of produce in your own little patch of soil, and you learn to cook in tune with the seasons, planning meals around the crops you’re harvesting.

But what if you don’t want to wait years for a patch to become available? That’s when the idea of moving house starts to look more appealing.

Moving for more green space

If you’re serious about upping your homegrown game, moving somewhere with a garden or easier allotment access could be the answer. Whether it’s a cottage with a generous back garden or a house on the edge of town with plots nearby, it’s a change that pays off every time you sit down to dinner.

The practical side of moving can feel daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Cash buying and online estate agency services like Sold, which offer either to buy your house for cash or to sell through their simple online estate agency, make selling your house simpler. This can help free you up to focus on what really matters – getting those raised beds built before courgette season kicks off.

Even if the allotment waiting list proves too long and you’re not in a position to move, that doesn’t mean you can’t still grow some of your own produce. There’s plenty of inspiration around for growing food in small spaces and recipe ideas too. Try the Veganuary website for recipes as a first stop.

Because in the end, growing space isn’t just about food. It’s about connection – connection to nature, to the seasons – and to the joy of living a vegetarian life rooted in fresh, homegrown flavour.