The hottest trend in restaurants this year? Gardens.

We can thank the locavore eat-local movement for this one: According to a National Restaurant Association survey publicized Monday morning, gardens are the top trend in the restaurant world today.

A third of the 2,000 chefs surveyed nationwide said they are growing their own tomatoes, herbs and other produce, citing lower costs and better quality. 

According to the Associated Press, the Bell Book and Candle in Manhattan, scheduled to open this fall, will use 60 hydroponic towers on it's roof that will grow 60 percent of the produce it uses. Owner and chef, John Mooney, reportedly is growing more than 70 varieties of herbs, vegetables and fruits there.

I, for one, am thrilled about this development. It just might spell the end of overpaying for hard, unripe, flavorless salad tomatoes.  

What do you think? Would you be more likely to dine at a restaurant that grew its own produce? Chime in in the Comments section below.