The Queen installs a vegetable patch at Buckingham Palace

The Queen has joined the "grow your own" revolution after creating a vegetable plot at Buckingham Palace.

For the first time since the Second World War vegetables are being grown in the Palace's grounds alongside ornamental plants.

The move comes amid a surge in demand from people up and down the country to have their own allotment to grow their own food during the recession.

The Queen's organic vegetable patch is about 10 yards by eight yards in size. It is at the rear of the garden in an area which is called the Yard Bed.
Guests attending the Queen's garden parties will be able to see her new allotment over the summer.

"The Queen is very keen on gardens in general and she is always willing to try out new things," said a royal source.

"She attends the Chelsea Flower Show each year and has always been fond of Kew Gardens."

Claire Midgley, the Deputy Gardens Manager, last week showed the Queen a variety of vegetables that are being grown, including runner beans, "Stuttgarter" onions, "Musselburgh" leeks, sweetcorn, "Red Ace" beetroot, "Fly Away" carrots and an endangered variety of climbing French beans called "Blue Queen".

No chemicals have been used to cultivate the allotment sites. Liquid sea-weed has been used to feed the plants and forms of garlic are being used to deter aphids.

Like the rest of the garden, water from the palace borehole is used to irrigate the plants. Mulch from the palace's compost heap has been used to bed the vegetables in.

telegraph.co.uk