LOCKDOWNS may have eased but Aussies continue to explore growing their own vegetables at home, buying seeds online to help get them started.
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Online shopping site eBay Australia has reported seeds of staple veggies have increased in sales with potatoes up 168 per cent, green beans up 120pc, lettuce up 125pc and cucumbers up 80pc over the past four months.
The online retail giant has put the trend down to inflation and rising food prices hitting supermarket shelves.
It suggests home growers of lettuce, cucumber and broccoli are saving up to $75 a month.
EBay Australia's Sophie Onikul said Australians have become a nation of green thumbs as they look for ways to bypass costly supermarket bills.
"As the longer, warmer days are upon us, the time has come to reap the rewards of homegrown veggies and save up to $75 on your trolley," Ms Onikul said.
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The trend comes despite biosecurity concerns over the online purchase of seeds.
In January this year, a heritage and rare fruit group page was alarmed when one of its members offered fig and apple cuttings not known to be legitimately available in the country.
The cuttings were purchased internationally and sent directly to his house, rather than going through the biosecurity quarantining facility, which holds and monitors imported plant material for diseases for up to two years.
The matter was handed over to the Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment in mid-2021 but the horticulture group was alarmed by the lack of action, and the fact the seller continued to actively sell exotic plant species online.
Seeds can carry a range of diseases, including viruses, exotic insect and weed pests, that could impact on vegetable and fruit industries, backyard gardens and environment.
Australia has strict conditions for seed imports, and these are in place to manage the significant risks.
According to a statement from the Biosecurity Strategy and Reform Division of the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE), some seeds cannot be imported to Australia as the risk of introducing unwanted plant diseases and serious weed species is too high.
Last year, DAWE, in collaboration with Agriculture Victoria, conducted a research project where a range of cucumber, melon and zucchini seeds were purchased online from overseas suppliers.
These were imported under a specific biosecurity permit, for testing purposes.
Almost 75pc of the seed consignments that arrived as part of the project carried vegetable and fruit viruses that are a biosecurity concern.
In 2020, Australia banned imports of cucumber, melon and zucchini seeds, as well as seeds of other high-risk commodities, through international mail.
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