Ulgen beside his roof top garden. Photograph: Jaswinder Kaur.

Londoners are looking for new ways of saving money and are increasingly growing their own vegetables, shooting up seed sales. Suttons Seeds, Britain largest supplier of seeds, has reported a 20 percent increase in seed sales, particularly vegetable seeds.

Suttons Seeds managing director Alex Grenfell said: “It has been a tremendous year so far. The spectacular weather we had in March and April played a role in the rise in sales but it has also been due to the economic situation, the trend for healthy eating and growing your own fruit and vegetables, and the value for money this offers to consumers.”

Their ongoing campaign to promote growing vegetables and fruits called ‘Grow Your Own’ is gaining popularity.

In London, budding gardeners have been using any available space including their rooftops and window boxes to plant vegetables and fruits of all colours and shapes.

Londoners are reaping the benefits, saving 10 pounds to 70 pounds a month on their grocery bills.

Umit Ulgen, 41, is a photographer who converted the rooftop outside his Holloway Road studio into a lush green vegetable patch of broccoli, courgettes and lettuce. Ulgen says, “The main reason I have done it is because I eat very healthy and I always eat organic. Previously I bought from small producers and now I have the space and the means of doing it on my own. Also it doesn’t take much effort and is cost effective. It is highly enjoyable”.

The current economic crisis is another reason why Ulgen decided to grow his own vegetables as he found buying organic vegetables expensive.

Looking around his neat garden, one sees a variety of green vegetables sprouting from purpose-built containers. The runner beans are being trained to climb wooden stakes while three dwarf fruit trees, a peartree, an apple tree and a Victorian plum tree are the newest additionto his verdant rooftop.

Helen Babbs, 26, a writer and blogger, inherited her Islington roof garden from a previous tenant. She started cultivating vegetables before the credit crunch and admits that growing her own runner beans and flamingo beet and herbs have reduced her grocery shopping bill. She has even started a blog to keep readers informed on the growth and development of her tiny colourful garden.

She says: “Growing your own food is a way of eating organic cheaply. It definitely saves you money. Herbs are expensive to buy, a packet of coriander costs at least 1 pound or 2 pounds. I bought a packet of coriander seeds which costs probably the same but now I have a constant supply of coriander. So growing your own vegetables and herbs is definitely an economical decision. At the moment, the beans, tomatoes and strawberries are not ripe yet but come summer, they will be. So in summer the savings will go up.”

Both Londoners agree growing a variety of their own vegetables from spring onions and radishes to courgettes and cucumbers helps them save a pretty penny and ensures they have the freshest produce. They are looking forward to an even more bountiful and deliciously fresh harvest in a month’s time.