The Importance of Growing Your Own Food
The New Year is here and Spring is just around the corner ! What better way to start 2023 with a fool-proof way to improve your health in every way possible? What is the key to this you may ask, well I will share. Growing your own food! Planting, growing, and gardening your own fruits and vegetables. In addition to getting more physical activity, so the thinking goes, eating more food harvested from the ground and less from packages can help kids — and adults — become healthy or stay that way.
Now to all of the great benefits of gardening. Growing your own food has many health benefits:
SAVES YOU MONEY
You can avoid overspending on groceries and gas by producing your own food instead of going to the store. Longer-term investments give the greatest returns; consider planting fruit trees to begin enjoying significant financial benefits.
MORE NUTRITIOUS
Fresh food not only is the most nutrient-dense method to consume it, but it also tastes the best. The bulk of produce sold in grocery shops go through a protracted process of picking, shipping, and distribution to various locations. It then spends time in storage or on the shelf before being purchased, losing nutrient benefit.
YOU ARE IN CONTROL
Since you are the one who planted, looked after, and harvested the food, you are fully aware of its origins and the ingredients used. Knowing that no dangerous chemicals or pesticides were used to grow the food you want to eat is relieving.
GUARANTEED TO BE FRESH
Purchasing fruits and vegetables at the store is not particularly exciting. You have no idea how long it has been on a shelf or when it was picked. You may be sure that your food is fresh if you cultivate it yourself because you harvested it!
TASTES BETTER
Which do you prefer? a fresh apple harvested just now from a tree in your backyard or one that has been sitting on a shelf in a store for a week? It seems very obvious, no? Freshly harvested produce will always taste better and have more nutrients.
GET SOME EXERCISE AND VITAMIN D
A great way to get outside and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air is to spend time gardening. Regular exercise can enhance energy while reducing stress, anxiety, and sadness. Vitamin D, sometimes referred to as the sunlight vitamin, may be absorbed quite well through gardening.
SENSE OF PRIDE
It is gratifying and fulfilling to successfully plant a seed, see it grow, then harvest and eat the result. You develop a new appreciation for and connection to food when you realize you put effort into growing the food on your plate.
AESTHETICALLY APPEALING
In addition to offering a variety of fresh vegetables, gardens can enhance the appearance of your backyard!
BENEFICIAL FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
Transporting food across long distances requires a lot of fossil resources. Growing your own food would make it easier to rely less on this environmentally damaging transportation. The fact that you are not even using chemicals or pesticides that are harmful to the environment by growing your own food is another important factor to think about.
OUTDOOR CLASSROOM
A hands-on, interesting method to learn about the process of food production is to have a garden. It helps people feel a special connection to the food they are eating. In order to prepare kids for a healthy future, it is also essential to teach them about nutrition and
healthy diet.
Here’s how to do it!
Growing your own food isn’t rocket science. It takes a little time, but things like tomatoes, lettuce, peppers — basic kitchen crops — are very forgiving. Really, anyone can learn to grow food pretty easily. If you’re interested in growing food in your backyard, here are some tips:
Start small and plant things you’d really like to eat.
Pick a spot with at least 6 hours of good daytime light and access to water.
Use contaminant-free soil.
Consider using a raised garden bed, which allows you to control the soil and nutrient blend.
Talk to farmers or other backyard gardeners in your area to get a sense of what grows well in your region and when.
Getting Started!
First step: Right now is the time to go outside, search around in your basement or shed, or anywhere you keep your gardening equipment. Make sure none of your tools, including shovels, hoes, rakes, pruners, and spades, are broken by looking for split handles and corrosion on the blades. Prepare them by cleaning them up. Check your hose for any cracks or holes, and inspect your cart and buckets for signs of wear. Finding out what you need now is preferable to waiting until you actually need it and then having to dash off and acquire it in the midst of a gardening operation.
Don’t have the space to grow your own backyard garden, but want to reap the benefits? Come join us at the Community Garden! Or contact us to get involved.
Want a garden of your very own?
Be sure to be on the lookout for our 2023 Garden Blitz Announcements!