A green-fingered man is tackling the 'Vegxit' crisis by growing fruit and vegetables in innovative pots in his London garden.<br /><br />Alessandro Vitale, 31, grows hundreds of varieties around the back of his East London home.<br /><br />He houses the produce in plastic bottles, milk cartons and even reclaimed scaffolding - and watches it flourish.<br /><br />Alessandro has been growing his own fruit and veg for seven years and says it gives him a constant supply of food.<br /><br />So he's not worried about the current shortages - and is encouraging more people to try and live off the land.<br /><br />Alessandro said: "Growing your own food is one of the best ways to be more self-sufficient, save money and build a community, no matter how much space you have. <br /><br />“It’s definitely cheaper than buying from the supermarket and could really help during the cost of living crisis. What are people waiting for?"<br /><br />Alessando is currently growing lettuce and spring onions in his greenhouse as well as herbs on his window inside. <br /><br />A full-time content creator, he uploads videos of the amazing fruit and veg he produces to his Instagram, which focuses on gardening, foraging and zero waste cooking.<br /><br />And, despite his garden being eight by five metres squared, Alessandro can grow everything from lettuce and tomatoes to herbs and spice - and even melons.<br /><br />He said: “From just a couple of plants, I grew four melons<br /><br />"They were nothing like what you can find in a supermarket - it was like eating natural candy."<br /><br />Alessandro says he has also inspired his neighbours to start growing their own food and is happy to share his knowledge and supplies with them.<br /><br />"I produce extra plants from cuttings and give loads of them away," he said.<br /><br />"There is a guy down the road growing tomatoes in his front yard now - the interaction with the community is really important.”<br /><br />Alessandro says he believes space shouldn’t be a limiting factor for growing your own food.<br /><br />He said: "I started out on balconies and terraces - it’s not a question of space.<br /><br />“When I first saw my garden I thought I’d never be able to grow anything here.<br /><br />"But there are many different ways to grow food. You can grow food vertically on a wall with layers on top of one another.<br /><br />He said: “With the same money you spend on herbs at the supermarket, you can buy three plants. If you take care of them, they can last forever. <br /><br />“Tomatoes are a super easy crop and give you a taste of what you can make in the garden.<br /><br />"When you taste a real tomato you will never go back to watery supermarket ones.<br /><br />“You can literally grow lettuce on your windowsill - you just need soil and some newspaper.<br /><br />"It’s extremely easy, and it’s a constant production of lettuce if you only harvest the outer leaves.<br /><br />“I think people rely too much on what’s ready and the comfort of going to the supermarket - they’ve totally lost their link with nature.<br /><br />“By encouraging people to grow their own food, I want to inspire people to be more sustainable, bring people together and save some money in the process.”
