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You don’t need a large backyard or years of gardening experience before you can grow your own food. Most gardeners start out with pots of herbs on the windowsill or planter boxes of salad greens on the porch.

But if you’re still in doubt, here are 10 reasons why you should start a home garden.

Homegrown foods taste better

Homegrown foods often taste so much better than those sold in supermarkets. Store-bought produce are meant for mass consumption, which means that these fruits and vegetables are bred to have uniform shapes and sizes. But this type of selective breeding compromises flavor and texture.

You can grow a variety of foods

There’s no limit to the kind of fruits and vegetables that you can produce. Plant salad staples like lettuce, kale and spinach, or cultivate root vegetables like carrots and potatoes. You can even grow seasonal fruits that are not often available at the supermarket.

You avoid health risks linked to pesticides

It’s no secret that store-bought produce contains harmful chemicals due to pesticides. Countless studies have linked pesticides to conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and even birth defects. Chemicals in pesticides can also affect brain functions and disrupt hormone production.

You’re not at risk of food contamination

Contaminated irrigation water and animal feces can cause harmful bacteria like Escherichia coli (E. coli) to latch onto vegetables in the field. But since you control the environment of your home garden, you don’t have to fret about bacterial contamination and food poisoning.

A home garden encourages you to eat healthily

A bountiful harvest encourages you to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into meals. Over time, you might even be inclined to try vegetarian recipes or come up with your own. Whichever the case, you’ll likely eat healthier dishes and follow a balanced diet.

Garden tasks keep you active

Gardens require maintenance year-round since you’d often need to get rid of pests and weed. Some plants also require special attention. But the good thing about repetitive garden tasks like digging, weeding and watering is that you get to move and breathe fresh air. Gardening can also help ease stress and relieve tension.

You lessen food waste

One of the best things about home gardens is that you get to turn fruit and vegetable scraps into fertilizer or compost. You can even use fruit peels for home remedies. Not only do you get to eat healthily, but you also reduce the amount of food that goes to waste.

Homegrown foods help save money

With a home garden, you don’t have to run to the supermarket for fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables. Just make sure you don’t splurge on cute garden pots and the latest garden gadgets on the market.

A home garden gives you food security

You don’t have to worry about a food shortage in case of a disaster. In times of calamities, a home garden gives you access to fresh and nutritious food. You might also want to learn basic food preservation methods so you can store fresh produce even without refrigeration.

A home garden can give you a sense of fulfillment

Gardens require hard work and constant maintenance. But once you see the (literal) fruits of your labor, the effect is an instant sense of fulfillment and even pride.

Whether or not you have space, gardens don’t have to be huge. Start small so you don’t get discouraged as you go, and don’t forget gardening basics like sun exposure, water access and soil quality to ensure optimum plant health.

Sources:

GrowAGoodLife.com

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