PlantforLife's new campaign will see households grow their own fruit and veg and swap with neighbours to help communities make the most of their space.
Designed to target 67% of the population who want to do more gardening but don't know where to begin, PlantforLife's new initiative is the first project of its kind and will kick off with a trial in a street in Twickenham.

Neighbourhood Swap Shop follows new research from PlantforLife, which revealed that grow your own has more than doubled in the UK, with 54% of British gardeners now growing fruit and vegetables, compared with just a fifth two years ago.

However, the research also found that 40% of people don't think they have enough space to start growing and a quarter of gardeners don't even know what is available for them to grow.

PlantforLife hopes its Neighbourhood Crop Swap initiative will encourage communities to work together and enjoy fresh produce, whatever type of garden they have. The campaign will see each household grow two or three varieties of fruit and veg and then swap with neighbours.

The pilot scheme will see celebrity plants man Chris Collins working with budding gardeners in a street in Twickenham, offering tips and expert advice to help get them growing. The whole nation will be able to monitor their progress by logging on to www.plantforlife.info/cropswap

PlantforLife has also produced a Neighbourhood Crop Swap guide so communities can get their new fruit and vegetable garden underway.