The Benefits of Growing Your Own Food

There are many reasons why people decide to start growing their own food. Maybe they want to start saving on their grocery bills. Perhaps they had a green thumb for flowers and wanted to dabble in produce next. Whatever the reason someone would create their own garden to produce fruits and vegetables, there are many benefits to doing so. Let's take a look at some of the top reasons you should think about starting to grow your own.

It Improves Your Overall Health

Aside from the fact that gardening is an excellent physical activity that benefits your body in that respect, eating your own fruits and vegetables impacts your health significantly. It is well known that diets based on whole foods in their purest form are far more beneficial than diets composed of over processed, sugary foods with additives. While you may still need to supplement in some areas with vital nutrients through Vitamin D3, C, and potassium tablets, you have everything to gain from eating your food and nothing to lose.

While some fruits and vegetables take some know-how and a bit of a learning curve, easy start plants like tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and lettuce are an excellent intro to growing your own. If you've got a sweet tooth, blueberries and strawberries are easy as well.

Gardening Is Good for the Planet

With the environmental and climate crisis on everyone's mind and what we can do about it, gardening is a great way to impact the issue on several fronts. When you're growing your own food, you're decreasing the demand for factory farming of all kinds. With fewer trips to the grocery store, you're not using fuels in your vehicle that create harmful emissions. Additionally, you'll likely start eating less meat as you go to the grocery store less. The environmental impact of factory farming animals is more harmful than the vehicles we drive.

Another way that gardening is great for the environment is you're literally planting more things that produce oxygen. You're also giving pollinators more opportunities to pollinate and thus sustain them.

Less Waste Is Great

When you're growing your own food, you'll also be helping to impact the creation of less waste. Most of the produce you buy from the grocery store is either contained in a rigid plastic clamshell container or put in a plastic bed. Even those produce self-service sections, and you tend to put the items in plastic bags out of habit while shopping. You positively impact the environment through zero waste when growing your fruits and vegetables.

Reducing Pollution

When you plant gardens, especially those with fruit trees and shrubs, you are helping to reduce noise pollution. What is noise pollution? Noise pollution is sound that can cause damage to the health of humans and animals alike. Sounds like traffic, concerts, etc. These sounds can cause harm to us through stress, high blood pressure, and hearing loss. When you plant a significant amount of shrubbery and trees, these act as a barrier between noise pollution and your property. Not only that, but they also provide a safe haven for birds and other animals from this hazard as well.

Gardening Is A Mood Booster

In the same way that travel is good for your health, spending time in nature and gardening is too. While we already covered the physical health benefits above, it's essential to acknowledge gardening's benefit on our emotional health and well-being. Spending time outdoors working allows us to feel gratitude for the world around us. We get a mood boost from the sun's rays full of vitamin D. Hearing the living world around us like birds and bees buzzing by is good for the soul. Not to mention witnessing the bounty and literal fruits of our labor when things are in season and are ready to harvest.

Gardening and growing your fruits and vegetables can seem like an impossible undertaking, but with a little bit of knowledge and lots of hard work, you will see your efforts pay off. The best part is - well, all the reasons mentioned above! You have everything to gain health-wise by getting started this spring and summer. Happy Sowing!