Today sees the launch of the annual Grow your Own campaign, with this year's theme centred around growing for taste.


In partnership with the new GYO supporting sponsor Mr Fothergill's, the Royal Horticultural Society is giving away 40,000 packets of seeds to the first 10,000 people to register on their website. These users will receive four free packs of sweetcorn, salad onion, squash and tomato seeds.

The RHS website also features a new and exclusive video staring Nigel Slater, who advises how to plan a tasty container of Mediterranean herbs for year round use. The video was filmed on location at RHS garden Wisley alongside the RHS horticultural team leader Rebecca Bevan.

After signing up for the GYO campaign, members will receive monthly GYO e-newsletters containing video tutorials, RHS expert advice, prizes and offers to help grow successfully.

RHS garden Wisley curator Colin Crosbie said: "The GYO campaign aims to help people grow really tasty produce that they want to eat. Our website will feature seasonal recipes, a video blog from Wisley and great ideas for family activities."

Meanwhile, the Grow Your Own campaign will involve the RHS gardens around Britain with a host of activities planned all this weekend. At RHS garden Wisley in Surrey visitors will learn how to graft their own apple tree, how to plant potatoes and fruit trees and how to grow great strawberries. Cookery demonstations will take place and champion of 'no-dig' gardening Charles Dowding will give a talk on Sunday.

Over in North Yorkshire, visitors to the Harlow Carr garden will be able to take part in a beginner's Learn to Grow course , and there will also be a Sow & Grow workshop for children interested in planting a micro salad crop. There will also be the chance to see how RHS gardeners are building up a kitchen garden extrension on the site from scratch and the sort of vegetables and herbs they are growing there.

At garden Rosemoor in Devon illustrated talks on vegetable growing will be given by world-class expert Melwyn Williams, 11-times Chelsea gold medal winner for vegetable displays and chairman of the RHS fruit, vegetable and herb committee. A special cookery demonstration on how to grow and cultivate Oriental leaves will also take place.

Hyde Hall garden in Essex will feature plenty of local produce for visitors to stock up on, and advice will be on hand from The Waste Busters on how to reduce the £9-a-week cost of wasted food in British households.

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