Growing your own food is a one-stop solution to several environmental, health, and economic problems. Irrespective of whether you’re growing a single plant or an entire garden.
Here we outline 8 very important benefits of growing your own produce. They’re enough to get anybody out in the garden!
1. Growing food can save you money
By growing your own food, you are saving money on gas and produce that would have been spent traveling to the grocery store, not to mention the long-term savings you’ll make if you can grow on a larger scale. Even if you grow a small garden for fresh eating, you will save money. For example, a package of organic salad greens cost at least $5 at my local grocery store and is usually only enough for a few servings. If you grow your own from a package of good-quality organic seeds, it costs half that and produces for a longer period of time yielding about 6 pounds of salad greens.
2. Food you grow is guaranteed to be fresh
Farm to table takes on a whole new meaning when the farm is right in your backyard! Fruits and vegetables that ripen naturally in the garden and are consumed within days of harvest have more nutrients than store-bought vegetables. Most of the vegetables that line the grocery store produce section are picked early, shipped to warehouses, distributed to the stores, and stay in storage or on the shelf for a while until you purchase them. Over time, the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables declines. Not only do freshly picked fruits and vegetables taste better, but they also have a higher nutritional value.
3. Food you grow is more nutritious
A lot of nutrients and vitamins get lost in transit when food is shipped over long distances. A surefire way to ensure you get the most nutrients out of your veggies is to grow them yourself.
4. It tastes better
The fruit of your rewards is sweet! Pun intended. Many of the varieties of fruits and vegetables sold in grocery stores are adapted for commercial farming. Through selecting and breeding specific traits, these strains are developed to produce more per plant, be ready for harvesting all at once, have a longer shelf life, be uniform size and shape, ship without bruising, and often times finish ripening on trucks during shipping.
5. Gardening is good exercise
Get some sunlight and guaranteed vitamin D, over and above the endorphins you get from physical activity. Gardening is just one way to promote activity when you otherwise might be sitting. After all, if the weeds are infiltrating your yard, you have built-in motivation to get in the dirt and work. Time passes quickly, and before you know it, you’ve wracked up 60 minutes of exercise.
6. Beneficial for the environment
Long-distance transportation of produce relies heavily on fossil fuels. Growing your own food would help reduce the reliance on this transportation that is harming the environment.
7. A great learning opportunity
Having a garden is a hands-on, engaging way to learn about the process of growing food. It gives people a connection to the food they’re eating and is great for teaching kids.
8. Added beauty
Not only do gardens provide an abundance of fresh produce, but they also make your backyard aesthetically pleasing
So why don’t you give growing your own food a shot! We promise you the satisfaction you feel from eating something you’ve produced yourself is unparalleled.
Happy Growing! 🙂
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