I’m a gardening pro – 20 weird but useful hacks you can use to boost your garden

GEN Z are getting green fingered and adopting a ‘grow your own’ approach - thanks to social media.

Research of 2,000 adults found almost half of 18 to 27-year-olds have caught the gardening bug in the last 12 months.

Of those, over two thirds saw their newfound hobby blossom thanks to social networking, with Instagram, TikTok and Facebook the most popular platforms for advice.

But with hashtags like #allotmentuk and #growyourownfood on the rise, 34 per cent of all adults have also found unusual hacks to help their produce thrive.

These include using old teabags and egg shells, while one in 10 even use their body hair as a natural plant fertiliser.

And 11 per cent have even gone as far as using hair from their nether regions to grow their fruit and veg.

But 80 per cent weren’t actually aware that body hair is nutrient rich and could be used as a natural plant fertiliser.

Fiona Atkins, male grooming expert for Philips OneBlade, which has partnered with gardening and topiary experts to launch the 'Hairy Harvest' - a pop-up where passers-by can get a quick shave and take their trimmings home to help their own plants grow, said: “It’s no secret that the cost of food shopping keeps rising.

“More and more people are looking at how they can start growing their own produce at home – particularly the younger generations.

“So, we wanted to highlight the little-known fact that body hair is the perfect nutrient-rich DIY fertiliser to help Brits in their gardening endeavours.

“As the nation trim, edge and shave their hair, we want to empower them to stop letting their discarded hairs go down the drain and put them to good use so they can start their very own hairy harvest in their back garden.”

The research also revealed reasons Gen-Z’s are picking up their trowels, with saving money, fighting the cost of living crisis and improving their mental health among the most popular motivations.

While 43 per cent simply wanted to get outside more, with 35 per cent wanting to grow their own produce.

The study also revealed 21 per cent of men have picked up gardening in the last year, compared to just 17 per cent of women.

With three in 10 males preferring to spend time outside on their veggie patch as much as watching Match of the Day or playing video games.

Of all respondents, 57 per cent have a keen interest in pruning their shrubbery, with 21 per cent inspired by TV shows they’ve watched.

With 63 per cent of garden growers serving up dishes made up partly or entirely of produce from their own backyard.

It also found more than half of all adults agreed you can’t beat the fresh taste of homegrown food.