9 Reasons For Growing Your Own Vegetables
Why Not Grow Your Own Vegetables?
Have you been thinking about growing your own vegetables but just aren't quite there yet? You may be pleasantly surprised to find that it is easier than you think!
Many people just like you are starting to realize that even in the smallest spaces they can grow a substantial amount of their weekly grocery bill.
How wonderful it would be to stroll out to the yard or the patio and pick a few fresh vegetables for a salad and for some of those yummy recipes you have been wanting to try!
I like growing my own food because I can be more in control of the chemicals and ingredients used to actually produce my meals. Every day I consume large amounts of vegetables and other food items. It just makes sense to help supplement our food budget by growing a large portion of it myself!
If you are thinking about growing your own vegetables, read on for some of the reasons to do just that and a few things to consider.
Image courtesy of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on Creative Commons
Grow Your Own Salad
Nine Reasons For Growing Your Own Vegetables - Why Grow Vegetables?
Image above courtesy of Simon Howden
When you start thinking about the larger picture, there really are many reasons for growing your own vegetables and food.
- Helping The Grocery Budget- If you regularly buy vegetables to cook with your meals, more than likely you could be growing at least some of those vegetables yourself. We can easily spend about $50 USD a week on buying nothing but organic vegetables! If we had a large family I'm sure it would be much more than that.
- The Ability To Grow Organic- It is very important to me to be able to eat my vegetables chemical free. I also want to make sure that the dirt is as healthy and full of nutrients as possible to produce the healthiest food. When growing my own vegetables, I can use natural insecticides and fertilizers versus harmful chemical versions.
- Freshness- Most vegetables that you will find at the grocers has usually been grown to last quite a long time on the shelves. There is far more money to be made in having vegetables and produce that lasts longer so more can be sold versus having to toss it out from growing old before being bought. When growing your own vegetables you can simply pick them when they are ripe or get them from the container you have preserved them in.
- Superior Taste- Have you ever noticed how amazing a vegetable fresh from the garden tastes? Part of the reason for that is because it wasn't grown to last forever with chemicals and preservatives. Your vegetables will taste even more amazing when grown organic!
- Decreasing Your Carbon Footprint - You are definitely decreasing your carbon footprint when you transport your vegetables from your garden to your kitchen! How much more local can you get?
- Greater Variety Of Choice- Let's face it, your grocer only has room for so many different types of tomatoes to carry and display. When you grown your own, you can grow 10 different types if you so desire!
- Convenience- How wonderful it is to step out to your lovely garden patch or patio and pluck some nice ripe vegetables for lunch and dinner! When you preserve your vegetables, just take them out of the freezer or pop open the jar they were canned in and prepare. You don't have to change your clothes, fix your hair, load the kiddies, drive and deal with traffic, and stand in line at the grocery store which all sounds like a wonderful bargain and time saver to me.
- Great Exercise!- Think of all the wonderful exercise and sunshine you get while working in your garden. You will need to weed regularly, maybe do some hoeing and then there is the picking of the vegetables themselves. Generations gone by thought nothing of getting out and working in the garden for the sheer exercise of it all. I feel these days we need to incorporate as much exercise into our daily routines as is possible!
- Plenty Leftover To Sell Or Share- Most of the time when growing your vegetable garden, you will over estimate the amount needed. Or you can purposefully plan your garden this way. If you don't like to preserve your vegetables you can take the excess to your neighbors and share or to the local Farmer's Market and set up a booth to sell!
Organic Vegetable Seeds - Seeds for Organic Gardening
Check out the awesome assortment of organic vegetable seeds you can order from Amazon! Click on any item below and see more seeds to choose from.
Fun Things To Do With Your Vegetables
A Few Ideas For Growing Your Own Vegetables
If you are wondering what on earth you are going to do with all your lovely vegetables you have grown, consider these ideas.
Why Not -
- Preserve your excess vegetables to enjoy throughout the year.
- Make them into jams and jellies.
- Make yummy and nutritious vegetable smoothies.
- Use your organic vegetables to make healthful and cleansing green vegetable juice.
- Steam and then blend to a fine consistency and make into nutritious baby food.
- Get a food dehydrator and dry your veggies.
- Set up a stall at the Farmer's Market or sell from your vehicle on the side of the road.
- Surprise your neighbors with a basket of fresh veggies on their doorstep.
- Donate to a local charity that helps those in need.
- Donate to your church when they need food for different functions.
- See if a local school cafeteria will take some of your excess.
- Save some of the seeds for next years crop so you don't have to buy as many seeds to plant with.
- Put the scraps in your big composter and keep your compost bin churning out the black gold for your garden.
Image Above and Right - courtesy of Simon Howden
Home Grown Produce
What do you Think About Growing Your Own Vegetables?
Have You Ever Grown Your Own Vegetables?
Blue Ribbon Preserves by Linda J. Amendt - How To Preserve Your Vegetables and Food
This book is great for beginners and food preservation as well as seasoned veterans.
A Great Book for Preserving Vegetables and Fruit
Starting Your Vegetables Indoors, How-To Tips and Videos For Growing Your Own Vegetables
I started my vegetables in the Jiffy Professional Greenhouses that are shown in this video.
I sat my trays in the sunniest window and kept them covered both with an old towel and the lid to the green house until they started to sprout. It is important to monitor the moisture and not let it accumulate on your plant starts or they will develop mold very quickly while sitting in the dark. Within just a few days, many of my seeds were sprouting and then I followed the instructions for propping the lid open on the green house.
How to Start Seeds Indoors with Jiffy Pots
Growing Your Own Vegetables is Very Rewarding
More Articles by Me About Gardening and Vegetables
Feel free to visit some of my other articles about gardening and getting more vegetables in your diet.
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