10 Reasons to Grow Your Own Food

Growing your own food is a simple solution to numerous health, environmental, and economic problems. Whether you’re just growing a single tomato plant or have an entire backyard farm, here are our top ten reasons to grow your own food.

1. Save Money

By growing your own food, you are saving money on gas and produce that would have been spent traveling to the grocery store. The best returns are longer term investments — try planting fruit trees and start reaping big financial returns.

2. More Nutritious

Food in its freshest form is not only the tastiest way to enjoy it, but also the most nutritional. The majority of produce sold in grocery stores go through a long process of being picked, shipped and distributed to various stores, and end up staying in storage or on the shelf for a while before being purchased, losing nutritional value.

3. You are in Control

You are the one planting, maintaining, and harvesting the food, therefore you know exactly where it came from and what went into it. It is comforting to know that there were no harmful chemicals or pesticides used to grow the produce you plan to consume.

4. Guaranteed to be Fresh

Buying fruits and veggies from the store isn’t too promising. You don’t know when it was harvested or how long it has been sitting on a shelf. If you grow your own food, you know it is fresh because you picked it!

5. Tastes Better

Which would you prefer… an apple that has been sitting on a shelf in the store for a week, or one that was just picked seconds ago from a tree in your backyard? Seems pretty obvious, right? Produce that was recently harvested is guaranteed to be tastier and full of nutrients.

6. Get Some Exercise and Vitamin D

Gardening is a fun way to get outside for some fresh air and sunshine. Getting regular exercise can relieve stress, anxiety and depression, while boosting energy. Gardening is also a great way to absorb vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin. Vitamin D is crucial in order to maintain healthy bones and teeth, and it can also protect against certain diseases.

7. Sense of Pride

The process of successfully planting a seed, watching it grow, then harvesting and consuming it is a satisfying and rewarding feeling. Knowing you did the work to grow the food on your plate gives you a new appreciation and connection to food.

8. Aesthetically Pleasing

Not only do gardens provide an abundance of fresh produce, but they also add beauty to your backyard.

9. Beneficial for the Environment

Long-distance transportation of produce relies heavily on fossil fuels. Growing your own food would help reduce the reliance on this transportation that is harming the environment. Another important thing to consider is the fact that by growing your own food, you are not using chemicals or pesticides that are harming environment.

10. Outdoor classroom

Having a garden is a hands on, engaging way to learn about the process of growing food. It gives people a special connection to the food on their plate. It is also a beneficial way to teach children about healthy eating and nutrition, preparing them for a healthy future.

Have we convinced yet? The first step in growing your own food is a clear plan. Download our crop mapping tool to plan out the growing season.

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