You can grow your own food in as simple as a few pots on your deck or as complicated as converting large sections of your land into a high-producing produce resource. It is not as hard as you might think, and the benefits are numerous.
Growing your own food is more than just a way to feed your family. You’ll also be part of a fast-growing food revolution, which is responding to the environmental damage that industrial agriculture has caused.
These are five great reasons to grow your own produce:
- It is more nutritious. A varied diet of fresh fruits and veggies is more varied and healthier. They are also rich in vitamins and minerals that can help protect your cells. The most nutritious foods are those that take the longest time from harvesting to eating.
- Vitamin D is not only obtained from the produce, but also from the sun that you are exposed to when you garden outdoors. Vitamin D helps protect you from certain diseases and maintains healthy bones and teeth.
- It is a healthy activity. Gardening can improve your heart health and immune system response, decrease stress levels, increase motor skills, flexibility, as well as provide a source of exercise. Regular exercise can help reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and boost energy.
- You save money by buying seeds, plants starts, and other gardening supplies.
- It’s better for our environment. Organic produce bought at the supermarket must be transported some distance. This can cause climate change and burn fossil fuel. You can also control the amount of pesticides and herbicides used in your produce by growing it yourself.
You might be tempted now to say, “Why bother trying to grow my fruit and vegetables when there are so many in the supermarket?” But not all supermarket produce is healthy.