9 Reasons to Grow Your Own Vegetables
9 Reasons to Grow Your Own Vegetables
Learning how to grow your own vegetables will not only improve your physical and mental health, but it will save the environment too. When growing your own vegetables; you are coming up with not only solutions to health and economic problems, but also environmental problems. No matter what you choose to grow and where you want to do it; it will be beneficial for your health as well as the environment. These are the 9 reasons to grow your own vegetables.
1. It Is More Nutritious
When you decide to grow your own vegetables, your diet will become more diverse and healthy, filled with different vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. Your vegetables when they are in the freshest form are the best way to enjoy them. Most of the vegetables that are sold in the grocery stores are not really fresh; as they are shipped and distributed to stores. Once they reach the destination; they are held in storage or on the shelves for a period of time before you buy them. Meanwhile, they lose their nutritional value.
2. Forces You Stay Active
Growing vegetables is a great way to get outside for some air and physical activity. The things that needed to be done in order to grow vegetables is a great way to promote physical help. Growing your own vegetables will also help you relieve stress, depression, anxiety; as well as boost your overall energy levels.
3. You Get Vitamin D
While you are working on your vegetables you will also absorb some vitamin D as you are outside. Vitamin D is important to have healthy bones and teeth but also protects you from certain diseases.
4. Save Money
One of the main reasons most people decide to grow their own vegetables is the cost. When you go to the grocery store a single vegetable will cost you anywhere from one to six dollars. But if you take that money and buy seeds that will cost the same amount and plant them; you will most likely have more than only one vegetable. You can plant exactly the species that you prefer to eat.
5. Better for the Environment
The main reason why vegetables that are found in most grocery stores; are not good for the environment, is due to the amount of fossil fuel that is used to transport them. Growing your own vegetables will not only reduce the use of toxic fuels. Furthermore, you will also not partake in chemicals and pesticides released in the air because of mass agricultural production.
6. You Control What Goes In It
Another reason for growing your own vegetables is that you are in full control over what goes into planting it. You can be very strict about it and pick only the best hydroponic supplies that are organic and completely safe. Or you can fertilise the plants and use pest control. There is nothing more pleasing than knowing that all of your vegetables are grown and handled just how you want them to be.
7. Helps Reducing Plastic Waste
As we probably all know it is really difficult to find vegetables that are not only fresh but some that are wrapped in plastic, especially if you are interested in buying organic vegetables. Even though the groceries are making an effort to reduce plastic waste, when the vegetables have to be shipped across the world there is no other option than packing it in plastic.
8. Waste Less Food
Because you are growing your own vegetables you will do your best not to let it go to waste. No matter if you don’t consume some parts of the vegetable that you harvested, you will get to use all the scraps and compost them so they can be returned to the garden as nutrients. You can also give away some of the vegetables to your family.
9. Help Reduce the Danger of Food Contamination
Growing your own vegetables in your backyard you know where everything comes from. That is a plus because many vegetables that are bought in the store can contain food-borne illnesses. Most people aren’t aware that around 50 million people get sick and 3000 die from it. People are not aware that Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria can be found on over half of the vegetables that are in the grocery stores. And that is completely avoidable if you are the one who is responsible for your vegetables and how you treat them and protect them. But even if you are growing your own vegetables make sure that before you are doing anything with them you must wash them first.
Even if you don’t have a yard that you can dedicate to your vegetables you can always make a makeshift garden on your balcony or even inside. If you are a beginner opt for vegetables that are easy to maintain until you learn all the hacks and tricks.
Featured image: Unsplash
