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Beginner gardeners tend to shrink at the idea of maintaining a lush and thriving home garden. After all, gardening is often not as fun and effortless as it sounds. It takes hard work, patience and dedication even for those with green thumbs.

As tedious and intimidating as it might seem, growing food at home comes with a number of health, financial and environmental benefits in the long run. Here are just some of them:

Fresh, organic produce tastes better

Homegrown foods often taste so much better than those sold in supermarkets. One reason for this is that store-bought fruits and vegetables are bred to have uniform shapes and sizes to make them more appealing to consumers, a kind of selective breeding often compromises flavor.

You can have a broad selection of produce

A home garden gives you complete control over which fruits and vegetables to grow. Plant salad staples like lettuce and spinach or cultivate nutritious root vegetables like carrots and potatoes for pot roasts.

You avoid pesticide-treated produce

You can never be certain if the fruits and vegetables at the supermarket are 100 percent organic and pesticide-free. Numerous studies have linked the chemicals in pesticides to neurological conditions and birth defects. Homegrown foods, on the other hand, are guaranteed organic, nutritious and pesticide-free.

You’re safe from food contamination

Commercial farms that focus on the mass production of fruits and vegetables might not be as safe as most people are led to believe. Contaminated irrigation water and animal feces from grazing farm animals can cause pathogenic bacteria like Escherichia coli (E. coli) to latch onto plants in the field. With a home garden, you don’t have to fret about potential bacterial contamination and food poisoning.

A home garden promotes good nutrition

Nothing beats fresh homegrown fruits and vegetables when it comes to good nutrition. A thriving home garden makes it easier to follow a balanced diet.

Garden tasks are as good as exercise

Gardening is tedious work because of common maintenance tasks like digging, weeding and watering. However, these activities are as good as exercise. The repetitive nature of these tasks can also help ease stress and relieve tension.

You reduce food waste

One of the best things about home gardens is waste reduction. Turn vegetable scraps into fertilizer, or use fruit peels for home remedies and organic skincare products.

You spend less on groceries

A thriving home garden eliminates the need for frequent trips to the supermarket for fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables, thus saving you money in the long run.

A home garden supplies food even in times of crisis

You don’t have to worry about running out of food in case of a disaster. In times of calamities, a home garden gives you unlimited access to fresh, nutritious food. It also helps to learn food preservation methods so you can stretch the shelf-life of fruits and vegetables even without refrigeration.

Gardening boosts mental health

There’s nothing like harvesting food that equals a month’s worth of patience and dedication. Gardens take serious work and constant maintenance, but their payback is like no other. Seeing the result of that labor gives an instant sense of pride, accomplishment and self-satisfaction.

Gardens require a lot of work during the first few weeks. But keep at it – you’ll be reaping more than just fresh, nutritious produce in the end.

Sources:

GrowAGoodLife.com

BeyondPesticides.org