Sheffield's Foodhall encourages locals to grow their own food

Two pots of herbs, one seems to be growing faster than the other. I may need to swap them around occasionally to ensure they receive an equal measure of sunlight.

The programme, undertaken in collaboration with the University of Sheffield, involves delivering kits of seeds, soil, and plants to those who want to try their hand at growing their own food.

Foodhall is also developing its new site at Brown Street in the city centre, where there will soon be a cafe, community kitchen, wellness space, pottery studio, events space and more.

Felix Clarke, a research assistant at the University of Sheffield involved in the project, said: “Some research suggests that there are mental and physical health benefits to growing your own food.

Felix on a cargo bike about to deliver food kits to green fingered Sheffielders.

"You are less likely to suffer from anxiety and depression.

"We are doing research to see if this scheme works and if that is effective. “This is a project to see if it can be done on a bigger scale. Foodhall plan to keep this going. It could be upscaled to a bigger network.

"I think it is a good thing for people to get involved in. I have done some home growing but I’m not an expert.”

Most of the work at Foodhall, a not for profit social enterprise, is volunteer led, with only a few paid members of staff, and it has relied heavily on donations to fund its work.

The community kitchen at Foodhall on Brown Street.

Felix added: "The university has lent Foodhall cargo bikes for transporting the kits around Sheffield, so that people further from the city centre can be reached.

“At the moment we haven’t got as many people from east Sheffield involved because of how we have been advertising.”

Foodhall is providing kits that anyone can use to grow food, regardless of their garden space, and even has kits that can be grown on a windowsill.. ideal for the many Sheffielders living in flats or apartments.

I visited Foodhall and was provided with a chilli plant, and seeds for herbs and salad plants, which I am now attempting to grow on windowsills across my flat.

Soil, soil everywhere! A necessity for windowsill growing.

Foodhall also provides soil and plant pots and information sheets explaining how to care for the plants are included in the kits, making home growing even easier for newcomers such as myself to get started for the first time.

For my part, despite a distinct lack of green fingers, my chilli plant seems to be flourishing on the windowsill of my bedroom, while my herbs have started to sprout too.

I have found that growing on a windowsill is an easy introduction to home-growing as these types of plants require very little maintenance.

For more information on Foodhall, which is moving to its new location from its former base on Eyre Street, visit foodhallproject.org

Sheffield's Foodhall encourages locals to grow their own food - and even provides the kits