The Benefits of Growing Your Own Greens
These have been difficult times for many of us. Both our mental and physical health have been challenged and we’ve had to summon all our strength and patience to stay healthy. During quarantine, hobbies and aptitudes have flourished and have played a key role in people’s lives. In my case, I wanted to tell you about my gardening adventures and the pleasures I found in growing a vegetable garden.
Evidence suggests there are numerous benefits to growing and eating your own produce. Here are 6 of the benefits…
1. The produce is fresh and therefore contains a higher proportion of micronutrients.
Consuming local foods means consuming a higher amount of vitamins and minerals, as foods have been exposed for less time and have retained almost all their micronutrients. It also guarantees they will taste better, not only because we may be proud of our vegetable garden, but because indeed micronutrient-rich foods are greater in flavour. They have a higher nutritional value. Win-win!
2. (Hopefully) Crops may be grown without chemicals.
Growing at home allows vegetables to grow in a more controlled environment. Hopefully this means we can keep an eye out for pests and other animals that may damage our crops. Home-made remedies may be used instead of artificial chemicals to repel pests. For instance, I hand-picked the few snails that were attacking my lettuces and decided not to spray them with pesticides. When crops are grown at a larger scale, I understand this wouldn’t be the easiest choice.
3. Educational benefits for children (and adults).
Young children learn important skills through their gardening experiences. They are pleased from watching the products of their labor flourish, and have the chance to increase interactions with their parents and other adults. In addition, children learn the anger and frustration that occur when things of value are harmed out of neglect. A study by TM Waliczek et al. concluded that children involved in growing crops reported an improved self-esteem and reduction in stress levels. Adults also reported the therapeutic benefits of gardening. Another study suggests this outdoor experience should be included as part of the curriculum in primary schools, as it increases motivation to come to school, sense of cooperation and reduces anxiety.
4. You will eat more in-season vegetables.
Tending to your garden will teach you to eat in season when flavours and nutrients are at peak. When you have a lot of harvests to use up, you tend to eat more vegetables and think of creative ways to prepare them so nothing goes to waste. Since they are harvested fresh, the natural flavors of the vegetables shine and do not need additional oils, salt, or other additives to make them taste good. This improves the overall quality of ones diet.
Globalisation has allowed our supermarkets to stock an immense variety of fruits and vegetables, all year round. This is fantastic to increase the variety in our diet, however we no longer know what is in season and what is not. Therefore, we may be compromising the nutritional value of our diet by choosing foods that have travelled accross the globe, have been picked early, shipped to warehouses and distributed to stores. This leads to the next point…
5. Gardening helps the environment.
Eating locally-produced foods reduces travel time. Eating home-grown foods completely eliminates this factor and therefore reduces our carbon footprint. Additionally, gardening at home does not require vasts amount of space or fields. Therefore, we are indirectly saving trees. ✌️
6. Save money on groceries.
The cost of seeds or seedlings is lower than groceries. It is indeed cheaper to grow than buy in the long run. Some plants may produce a larger volume of food (such as tomatoes) compared to others, and you may be interested in planting these kind of plants if you want to save even more money.
Studies have also shown that the manual, outdoor labour that gardening entails improves overall happiness and well-being. Gardening may reduce healthcare costs and sick leave, allowing us to save money and time as well as improving our quality of life.
So… I hope these 6 points have tempted you enough to start your own vegetable garden.
Good luck!
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Congratulations.. Healthy habits and enjoyment
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