Finally watching Chelsea Flower Show on catchup, the two standouts for me were how gardening and being in open spaces can help with mental health and, secondly, the importance of growing food sustainably.
Camfed's Giving Girls In Africa A Space To Grow highlighted climate change hardy super-crops which are resilient to pests, diseases and dry spells as well as being fortified with vitamins.
The Montessori Centenary Children's Garden encouraged children to pick flowers, eat edible flowers and herbs, watch pond life and learn about future technology with plants being grown under artificial light.
Gardening Will Save The World by Tom Dixon and IKEA showcased plants with medicinal, health and environmental benefits as well as those growing using hydroponic technology which is a method of growing plants without soil.
Right in the heart of London there is a tunnel 33m below ground where salad leaves and herbs are sown onto a kind of mat and kept in the dark. Once sprouting, they are placed under LED lights. The benefits are that intense flavours are grown in a short space of time. Growing in these circumstances mean there are no insects and the plants are not prone to disease, therefore eliminating the need for pesticides and other harmful chemicals.
It's good to see how diets may be improved in Africa, how our future generation will understand the benefits of looking after the earth and how science and technology may be the way forward in providing food for the planet in the future.
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