As Americans, we can mostly eat whatever we want, whenever we want. Our industrial food system makes food relatively inexpensive and there is little regard for what foods are actually in season in our local area.
But long-time gardeners are passionate about growing their own food. Here are some reasons you should try it, too.
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1. Clean food — Produce at the supermarket was probably grown hundreds if not thousands of miles away at a farm that uses chemicals to battle insect pests and increase yields. Even organic produce is usually coated with wax to make it more visually appealing to shoppers. According to Grow a Good Life, your home garden will likely need no chemicals and you alone control the growing environment.
2. High quality food steps from your door — There is nothing like cooking with the highest quality, freshest food harvested right in your backyard. When you grow your own food, you can harvest it at the peak of flavor, Harvey Ussery tells Mother Earth News. The flavor of a vine-ripened tomato, still warm from the sun, can’t be beat.
3. Save money — Provided you don’t spend lots of money on gardening supplies and learn how to do the work yourself, growing your own food can help lower your overall food budget, says Food Matters. The initial investment in setting up your garden will pay for itself, especially if you learn to preserve your garden’s bounty for enjoying all year round.
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4. Outdoor activity and exercise — When you tend your garden, you’ll spend more time outdoors in the sunshine bending, stretching, digging, and planting. This low-impact activity burns calories and can be a great stress reliever, says Grow a Good Life.
5. Greater variety — Supermarket produce is often grown based on its uniformity of appearance and how well it can be transported rather than for its flavor. Grow a Good Life says growing your own food opens up hundreds of different varieties of different fruits and vegetables that you can choose based on what grows best in your area, flavor, and your preferences.
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Brande Plotnick is an ambitious home cook, gardener, beekeeper, writer, and speaker who started her website, Tomato Envy, to inspire others to find their deliberately decadent life at home. Brande’s down-to-earth style and approachable manner have been winning over the readers who follow her blog. Her work has been featured in Urban Farm Magazine, Natural Awakenings, Mother Earth News, and the Whole Seed Catalog.