Green fingered city dwellers without a plot of their own will soon be able to buy a virtual garden at the click of a mouse.
A farmer, an accountant and an information technology manager have teamed up to offer clients a harvest of veggies.
Around 35,000 would-be London gardeners in Kensington and Chelsea are being offered the chance of using the internet to own and tend an organic vegetable plot in the countryside. The website also offers weather forecasts, updates on conditions in their plot and advice on how to improve their crop.
The website gardeners will be spared only the ordeal of getting their hands dirty. Picking, weeding and tending will be done by the scheme's creators, Richard Knock, who farms in Mendlesham, Suffolk, the accountant Jon Reade, and Graham Amiss, an IT manager from Felixstowe.
They devised the scheme in June when Mr Knock complained about the falling price of wheat to his neighbours, Mr Reade and his wife, Katy, also an accountant.
"Katy came up with this internet vegetable plot idea, and I said, 'Don't be stupid'," said Mr Reade, 35. "Then I thought about it and got the wheels in motion." Mr Amiss agreed to design a website, and they went back to Mr Knock with a firm proposal.
They are offering city dwellers eight options ranging from a 9x10metre plot for £495 a year to a plot of their own specification plus "five speciality vegetables" such as asparagus and five petal salad for £695.
"When we get an order we will prepare the plot, and it will be on web within a week," said Mr Reade. "Our customers will be able to access their web page using a password. There will be a picture and a summary of how the veggies are going. If they need any treatment we'll ask for their input.
"Like any real gardener, you take the good years with the bad, but many of the varieties are hardy."
Mr Knock's wife, Julia, will help him to harvest and pack the crop ready for Mr Reade to collect. "We'll harvest during the day and deliver in the evening, so the vegetables will be as fresh as they can be," said Mr Reade. Customers can also visit the farm and help to harvest their own crop.
The three hope to expand the scheme to include soft fruits and pre-planted window boxes and hanging baskets.
They also plan to offer internet gardening to everyone in an inner city area, by franchising out to small farmers.
The website is www.myveggiepatch.com
