After 7 incredible years, this summer will be the final growing season for Grown Local.

This is without doubt the hardest thing I’ve ever had to write.

What started as a small idea slowly became something far bigger than I ever imagined. From packing seed packets at the kitchen table after work, to shipping thousands upon thousands of orders across the UK, Grown Local became a huge part of my life.

Over the years more than 50,000 packets of seeds were hand packed, endless seed potato orders were shipped, late-night customer emails were answered, and every effort was made to build something honest, approachable, and genuinely helpful for gardeners.

A lot of people don’t realise this, but no wages were ever taken from Grown Local. The business was built around evenings, weekends, holidays, and late nights alongside full-time work because I genuinely believed in what Grown Local was trying to be.

I always wanted Grown Local to feel like the old stories my grandparents used to tell me about Dobbies Garden Centre before it became a huge corporation — somewhere approachable, knowledgeable, honest, and built by real people who genuinely loved gardening.

And thanks to all of you, in many ways that was achieved.

But the reality is that small businesses are under more pressure now than ever before. Rising costs across every area of running a business, increasing staffing expenses, supply chain pressures, and the sheer workload of running a small family business have all played a part in this decision.

With life moving in a new direction and the workload becoming impossible to maintain properly on my own, I simply wouldn’t be able to continue delivering the level of customer service, care, and quality that people have come to expect from Grown Local.

And I never wanted this business to become rushed, faceless, or purely transactional just for the sake of keeping it alive.

If I continued, it would mean compromising the very reason Grown Local was built in the first place.

This year also made me realise how much has been sacrificed personally. I’ve been so busy running the business that I haven’t even managed to sow a single seed in my own garden this season, which honestly made me quite sad when I stopped and thought about it.

So after a lot of thought, I’ve decided it’s time to close this chapter, spend more time with family, return to my own garden, and chase new passions and dreams.

Before things finish though, there are people I absolutely need to thank.

To every single customer who ever placed an order, shared a post, replied to an email, recommended Grown Local to a friend, or simply chose to support a small family-run business instead of a giant corporation — thank you.

I also want to thank some incredible people in the gardening community who supported Grown Local over the years.

Jessie at Plot 37, Hannah at Ginger Grows, Eli and Kate, Mark at Mark’s Allotment Plot, Stevie at Greenside Up, NaturallyJB, and especially Tony C Smith.

A lot of people won’t know this, but me and Tony were speaking long before Grown Local even existed. Tony supported the business from the very beginning, and a huge amount of the success Grown Local had is honestly down to his support, kindness, and belief in what was trying to be built.

I also owe a huge thank you to my family, especially my dad and stepdad, who quietly mucked in behind the scenes whenever things became overwhelming. During busy seed potato seasons especially, when bulk orders were flying out the door and every spare room seemed filled with boxes, they stepped in without hesitation to help pack orders, move stock, and keep things running. There were moments where Grown Local truly became a family effort.

What Happens Now

• Grown Local will continue operating throughout the summer while stock lasts.
• All orders will continue to be dispatched as normal.
• Orders will continue to be packed and shipped until remaining stock has cleared.
• Seed potatoes and garlic will not be returning moving forward.
• There won’t be a large closing-down sale, as costs tied up in stock and packaging still need to be recovered.

Most importantly, nothing changes immediately. Orders will still go out, emails will still be answered, and everything will continue to be done properly right until the very end.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for allowing a small family-run business from Midlothian to build something that meant so much to me.

Grown Local was never backed by investors, corporations, or marketing teams.

It was built around evenings, weekends, late nights, and a genuine love of gardening.

And because of all of you, it became something truly special.

Thank you for everything.