Planting and harvesting your own garden provides a wealth of enjoyment, satisfaction and health related benefits. It also provides you with some of the best fruits and vegetables you’ve ever tasted!
Unless they lived in the big city, it’s probably fair to say that most of our ancestors kept their own garden at some point during their life. They did this for two reasons, out of financial necessity and because they liked the results. A year-round harvest of carefully cultivated seasonal delights is what kept them eating well and out of the proverbial “poor house.”
However, thanks to the modern desire for instant gratification, many have lost touch with the green thumb side of their heritage. Most of us no longer want to wait a few weeks for a tomato flower to bloom and fruit, instead, we’ll just head to the market and buy it. What’s lost in translation is the appreciation for the land and the flavor of the produce.
If you haven’t noticed it lately, the produce at the grocery store has been tasting a little bland. Take a bite of a tomato from the store and then one from a home garden and you’ll see what I mean. They are like two totally different foods. One is bland and tasteless while the other is like an explosion of flavor in your mouth. Which do you think is going to be more nutritious?
Grocery store produce often comes from as far as 2,500 miles away, from massive farms pumping their produce full of chemicals and hormones. At many of these farms, the produce grows in as little as a few days and rarely has the nutritional value attributed to the fruit or vegetable. And then you have to worry about what kind of fertilizer was used. You’ve no doubt seen the news reports about tainted produce making its way into our stores. Is the instant gratification worth the health risk?
By growing your own garden, you can choose what types of vegetables to plant, so you are never in short supply of your favorite. Imagine the money you will save by growing your own red bell peppers! Plus, you will have the peace of mind knowing that each pepper has the full nutritional value that it’s supposed to have.
Remember the old adage, “Good things come to those who wait?” While it may take some time for the garden to begin bearing fruit, once it does, you may find it difficult to keep up with it all! Crates full of cucumbers, baskets full of blueberries and piles and piles of pumpkins. To the delight of your neighbors, you will have to start passing some veggies off! But this is the magic of the well-tended garden. It keeps growing and growing until the end of the season.
Before you begin setting up your home garden, you’ll want to do some research into what vegetables or fruits grow best in your region. Each area has its own climate and soil type which can nourish some produce better than others. Understanding what veggies and fruits will grow best in your region will increase your chances of having a successful garden.
The Benefits of Growing Your Own Garden
• Better tasting, healthier foods
• Environmental sustainability
• Less expensive grocery bills
• A sense of accomplishment for you and your children
• Educational opportunities
• Your family will eat more vegetables if they came from your own garden
• You can harvest your vegetables at the peak of freshness, rather than guessing at the grocery
Simply put, growing your own garden will provide you with a host of personal, financial and health-related benefits that can’t be found anywhere else. Sure, it takes some time and some work, but the benefits far outweigh the effort. If you don’t believe me, just take a bite of that tomato!
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