Why Grow Your Own Vegetables

Due to questionable practices of the large-scale farming industry, with their use of pesticides and genetic modification of crops, and also due to economic hard times, many millions of people have decided to start their own gardens and grow their own food. There are varied reasons why it is beneficial to grow your own vegetables. Here we will discuss those reasons why it's a good idea to start and maintain your own vegetable garden.

Basically, if you grow your own food, you are spending less money. Food is expensive these days. Saving money on the grocery bill is definitely helpful to individuals and families affected by economic downturns. Herbs, for instance, bought at the store could cost you $3-6 and give you one or two uses. Potted herbs might cost you between 2 and 4 dollars but last you for 8 months to years. Growing your own herbs from seeds lasts even longer and can cost you as little as 1 or 2 dollars to start.

Not only can you save money by growing food in your own garden, but you can make money if you sell it at your local Farmer's Market. It's a win-win proposition.

In addition, maintaining your own garden contributes to sustainability. Big agribusiness use pesticides that poison ground water and their mono-cropping (focusing on the growth of one crop) erodes topsoil 7 times faster than that soil can replenish itself. Big farms use a lot of petroleum energy and trucks shipping those veggies to stores pollute the environment. If you are growing your own food, you are contributing to biodiversity of crops, not damaging the soil, not polluting the air and not poisoning the water. And you can make sure you're not poisoning yourself or your family.

As stated, you can make sure you don't use pesticides in your little home farm. You don't have to worry about what's on your food. Also you will steer clear of salmonella and e coli. You are essentially independent of agricultural businesses financially and also independent of the hazards of the industry.

When you are producing your own food at home, it's fresh off the vine, so to speak. It, therefore, tastes better, is crisp and smells good. Food at the store has often been picked when it was half-ripe giving it a less than perfect taste and feel.

When you garden you are closer to nature, must focus and get fully involved in what you're doing. You forget about any stress or nonsense, you are stretching and working your muscles. Note here that when you garden you burn 200 calories an hour.

Gardening, basically, is an excellent way to meditate and get in shape.

Not only are you getting in shape physically from your gardening because you are exercising while doing it, you are getting healthier because you are eating more good and healthy vegetables which you have access to straight from your garden. When you eat more veggies you reduce your risk for stroke and cardiovascular diseases in addition to reducing your chances of getting diabetes and cancer. Obviously your body needs fiber and the nutrients found in vegetables, so having direct access to these healing foods is going to make your body strong and healthy.

So, when you grow your vegetables at home, you are saving money, helping the environment, have access to lots of fresh healthy food and you are getting mentally and physically stronger. It seems having your own vegetable garden is good not just for you but also for everyone else!