10 Reasons to Grow Your Own Veggies and Herbs
It’s been a crazy last couple years, to say the least. The current uncertainty in the world and inevitable financial repercussions is a big reason to grow at least some of your own food and herbs, even if you have limited time and space and no experience. Here are a few good reasons to grow a garden.
1. Saves Money: Many of us have been affected financially by the coronavirus, unable to work during the “stay at home” orders and businesses being shut down. And chances are it’s going to take the world some time get back on its financial feet. But this personally isn’t the first time we’ve had to tighten our belt! With six (now grown) children between us, child support payments and piling medical expenses, we’ve relied on our garden to keep us all fed and healthy. We would not have survived without our garden. It has literally saved us thousands of dollars over the years.
2. Convenience: There’s nothing like “grocery shopping” in your own backyard! Need a tomato to top off the burger you’re barbecuing? Need to throw together a quick salad or roast up some veggies? I can’t tell you how great it is to have instant access, save a trip to the store and always have fresh food available, even when there’s no money left in the account and you don’t get paid for another week. And the best part? There’s nothing that beats the freshness of “just picked.”
3. Self-Sufficiency: Even now with the “stay at home” order, we’ve got plenty of home canned green beans, fruit, salsa, sauces, jams and dried fruit and herbs in the pantry, and a freezer full of various, berries, cherries, broccoli and more, all preserved to keep us through till next harvest. When everyone was out panic buying we had no worries. It’s a great feeling.
It’s important to teach our children to garden; they’re handy skills to have. We’re currently in the middle of a global crisis with a potential to get worse. Our current agriculture and food systems are not sustainable and we may be facing a collapse of the system, maybe sooner than we think. It’s always better to be over-prepared and not need it than under-prepared and wish you had.
4. Taste: Homegrown food is not only packed full of far more nutrients than you get with conventionally grown food, but the flavor is unbeatable!! Juicy, sweet, crisp and fresh, picked at the peak of ripe readiness, compared to bland, mushy produce, genetically hybrid to travel many miles to be stored for extended periods on store shelves. Once you’ve tasted a juicy, sweet, homegrown tomato you’ll have a hard time buying the mealy, flavorless ones at the store again.
5. Exercise: I’ll admit I’m not a fan of pumping iron, doing burpees, squats and pushups. But put a shovel, pitchfork or chainsaw in my hand and I’m in my element! There’s nothing more gratifying than a good hard day’s work, dirt under my nails and fresh air and sunshine, especially with the payoff of the harvest. And boy howdy…it can be quite a workout! Every spring during planting season I use muscles I forget I have till the next spring when I do it all over again.
6. Health/Safety: With a background in nutrition, herbs, energy medicine and alternative therapies, I’m well educated in the importance of avoiding chemicals, pesticides, GMOs and processed foods. If you’ve read the studies and knew the damage they cause your body and the environment, you’d think twice before putting a lot of things in your mouth that most of us normally don’t give a second thought. Too many of us still don’t understand the consequences of a poor diet. And a lot of us think we eat healthier than we really do.
Although buying organic is far better than conventionally grown produce (and worth the extra cost), many organic crops are still being tested with pesticide residue from cross contamination and/or sloppy farming practices. Not to mention foodborne illnesses like E.coli and salmonella that commonly taints produce from industrial farms. When you grow your own food, you have control over what goes into it and on it.
With easy access to homegrown, organic, delicious veggies and fruit, we tend to eat much more of it. That’s been super important in maintaining our health through periods of stress, financial burden, and especially for my husband with kidney disease. The doctors told him years ago he’d most likely need a transplant by the time he was in his mid-30s, although he had NO other health issues and was in fantastic shape (they don’t know what caused his kidneys to fail, other than toxic exposure in the military that they don’t acknowledge). Because of our healthy diet and lifestyle he dramatically slowed the progression of the disease, delaying dialysis until he was 53, then a transplant at 56.
There are also health advantages to eating something freshly picked off the vine. There are beneficial microorganisms that fuel healthy gut microbiome, adding much needed diversity to our friendly gut bacteria. My kids (and now grandkids) ate their fill of berries, peas, radishes and carrots as fast as they could pick them, just wiping the dirt off. Kids raised on a farm or with a garden have healthier immune and digestive systems, which is a big deal since health often starts in the gut.
7. Environmental Impact: Did you know that conventional farms consume more energy than any other industry? About 20% of all oil used in the U.S. is for growing food, which breaks down to about 400 gallons per year per person! Fuel for farm equipment, petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers, irrigation and processing, then transporting that produce many miles to your grocery store all contribute to depleting our natural resources, polluting the environment and destroying the delicate balance of the ecosystem. The environmental impact from conventional farming practices is terrible for us, the wildlife and the planet and is simply not sustainable.
Growing an organic garden at home has a zero carbon footprint, with the added benefit of plants cleaning the air by absorbing carbon dioxide and feeding beneficial bees, birds and butterflies.
8. Connection: Do you have trouble getting your kiddos to eat veggies? The more you get them involved in the growing process, making it fun and educational, the more likely they’ll want to eat what they had a hand in growing. And the more they’re exposed to it, the more they’ll adapt their taste for it. But don’t stop in the garden. Get them involved in the kitchen as well!
Gardening is a great way for kids and adults alike to connect with the earth, connect with each other as a family and with neighbors, and connect with their food source. There’s more appreciation and mindfulness when eating something that you experience the work and energy that goes into producing it.
There’s a spiritual connection as well; an intimacy with the land and every plant and tree, the earth and moon cycles and getting back to our roots in nature. To see God’s hand in all the little details we normally don’t notice. The miracle of a tiny seed sprouting, growing big and strong, flowering, and bearing fruit. The symmetry of patterns in a plant’s branches, leaves and flower petals or the wings of a butterfly. The perfection of the ecosystem, the insects and pollinators diligently doing their job. To care for Gaia, our beautiful Mother Earth and all her creatures the way she’s cared for us. And to realize our responsibility and honor to be good stewards of the land.
9. Grounding: Another significant benefit of gardening is the grounding or earthing affect you get when you’re outside with your hands in the dirt. Bonus points for gardening barefoot! The concept of grounding has taken off in the last few years with more scientific research backing up the benefits, and there are many! And being a science geek I’d love to tell you all about how and why it works but I’ll save that for another post.
In a nutshell, we’re electrically charged beings that are influenced by the energy around us. We’re exposed to way too many positively charged ions (damaging) from EMF pollution (cell phones, electronic devices, wifi, etc.). The earth, nature, puts out negative ions (healing) which we need to rebalance our energy. To get the benefits, we need a direct skin contact with a conductive surface of the earth: soil, sand, rock, vegetation and natural bodies of water. Some of the benefits are: improved sleep, mood, energy, hormone and adrenal health; reduced stress, chronic pain, inflammation, and jet lag; and normalized blood pressure and biological rhythms.
When I first started seeing several Reiki clients in a day I’d feel really spacey. To remedy this I’d go lay on the grass for about 15 minutes in between clients to rebalance my energy. I also do that anytime I’m feeling stressed or spend too much time in front of a computer. It works like a charm! Although direct skin contact is best, conductive natural materials are okay. Synthetic materials insulate and block the effect, such as rubber or synthetic soled shoes and clothing.
10. Improves Mood: I’ve already mentioned several ways gardening can improve mood. The satisfaction and security of growing your own food. Exercise creates feel good chemicals and endorphins in the brain. Better nutrition and gut health improves brain function and serotonin levels. Exposure to sunshine = vitamin D = improved health and mood. Connection to nature, to family and spiritual connection reduces stress and improves well-being. And there are proven stress relieving benefits of grounding your energy with the earth. Gardening has been my “therapy” for many years.
So are you ready to grow? Watch for upcoming posts on starting a garden, finding a method that’s right for you and your space, and additional gardening tips.
