Top 5 reasons to grow your own vegetables
There are so many good reasons to grow your own vegetables these days. I have selected my top 5 reasons, but the benefits are endless. You do not need a big yard or even good soil. I grow vegetables in grow bags, raised beds, and even grow trays in my house. With minimal effort you can improve your health and lifestyle.
Number 5 Reduce food waste
How many times have you bought fresh produce from the grocery store, and you find some of it rotten in your refrigerator. I usually get grand plans about all of the recipes that I want to make during a trip to the grocery store only to get sidetracked by invitations to dine out. The shelf life of fresh vegetables, even in the fridge, is very short. Or the packaging at the store requires you to buy 3 huge peppers and after a week or two the last one is shriveled and spoiled. When you grow your own vegetables you can harvest what vegetables you need when you plan on using them for a meal.
Number 4 Growing different varieties
Certain varieties of vegetables are ideally suited for long shelf life in stores and shipping. For example, celebrity tomatoes are the usual variety that you get in the grocery store. But that variety is not necessarily the tastiest. Heirloom tomatoes are very fragile and will not ship well, but they are superb in quality. Another example is English peas. These are the variety of peas that you usually get frozen in stores. The shell is hard and inedible. Growing your own shelling peas (and eating them raw, my personal favorite way) is a treat. The plants do not like the heat of summer so the seeds must be planted in the early spring and the season is only a few weeks in June for these tasty morsels.
Number 3 It’s healthy for you
Gardening is one of the best ways to exercise. You get in lots of steps preparing the plants and weeding the soil. Don’t forget the steps you get in harvesting! There’s also some light lifting and plant maintenance. Most Americans these days do not get enough vitamin D because being outdoors is not as valued as it used to be. Gardening gets you out in the fresh air usually without over sun exposure. Also on the healthier front is the ability to control what chemicals your body is exposed to. I practice organic gardening and do not use any chemicals in my vegetable gardens. Most commercial farms must use chemicals to protect their crops and maximize yields.
Number 2 It’s better for the environment
On the same thread as the organic gardening, chemical free gardens are good for the environment. Garden chemicals can get in waterways and harm animals and humans. Growing your own vegetables also reduces packaging waste. Many store-bought vegetables come packaged in plastic bags, plastic wrap, and on foam trays. additionally, the energy used to transport those vegetable to your local grocery store uses up finite energy resources.
Number 1 Taste, taste, taste
My number one reason for vegetable gardening is the flavor! Many vegetables that you buy in the grocery store are harvested before they are ripe to prevent damage in shipping. That last stage of development of the vegetables contributes 90% to the taste. For example, harvesting tomatoes straight off the vine when they turn a nice color red yields superior taste. This is true for many other vegetables.