One warmly encouraging vegetable production (6)

I believe the answer is:

hotbed

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'one warmly encouraging vegetable production' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both man-made objects as well as being singular nouns.
Perhaps you can see a link between them that I don't see?

This is all the clue.

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(Other definitions for hotbed that I've seen before include "Place with ideal conditions for rapid growth" , "Breeding ground" , "Place with ideal conditions for development" , "Scene of rapid growth, as of intrigue" , "vicious place" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

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