Growing your own is one of the best ways to not only harvest your own fresh fruit and vegetables but to enjoy all the many other benefits getting outside in the garden can bring. Gardening has so many physical and mental health benefits from helping anxiety to improving depression along with lowering your risk of cardiovascular illnesses and even Alzheimer’s disease. Here are some other reasons why growing your own food is great for your wellbeing:
Fresh fruit and vegetables definitely taste better
If you have grown your own before, you will know that every bite is sweeter, more juicy, more sour, more everything than any you can buy at the supermarket. There is a reason why some of our top chefs have their own kitchen gardens to use those delicious ingredients in cooking top-notch dishes.
You know what and how your food has been grown
When you purchase any fruit or vegetable from the shop, you may not know how it has been grown or if pesticides have been used. It’s much better for your health to have organic food and if you grow your own, you can be sure you know just what has been used to produce those tasty crops. The method of organic growing contributes to the sustainability of our beautiful planet, so you can be sure you are doing good for the earth and your health.
You’ll be benefitting from fresh air and physical exercise
Being outside in the fresh air benefits us in so many ways but add physical exercise on top of that and you will be increasing the serotonin levels in your body. Gardening involves different levels of exercise from and plenty of digging to lifting and everything in between when you are growing your own food. Everything you do is contributing to the health of your mind, body and soul.
You are making contact with the earth by touching the soil
Ensuring you give the soil plenty of attention means your harvests will be better but coming into contact with the soil has other benefits. The soil is full of microbes and one of those microbes is called Mycobacterium vaccae. It boosts our mood to help us feel happy. So along with the benefits of fresh air and physical exercise, the soil can make us feel good.
Providing food for yourself and family is hugely satisfying and low cost
Not only does growing your own food provides crops of tasty goodness but it can also lower the shopping bills for a family. Seeds are much cheaper than vegetables bought at the shops, plus you can harvest a whole lot more. Even if you have a small garden or a balcony, there are plants suitable for growing in all conditions from hanging basket Strawberries and Tomatoes to container grown Rhubarb and Potatoes, the options are endless. Even herbs on a windowsill are super satisfying to grow and use in cooking so there is no reason to not grow your own.
Written by Ellen Mary - Ellen Mary Gardening
