Five Reasons To Grow Your Own Fruits And Vegetables

Okay, so it’s high time we all became farmers. Alright, not really, I was just being silly – it’s that time of the year. Today’s article is about growing your own fruits and vegetables. Now, before I get called a hypocrite, my “excuse” for not having my own garden is not having access to one, since I live in an apartment. If you are able to have access to one, this post offers reasons why you should make full use of it.

Let’s first look at the trends over history. Did you know that having your own vegetable patch or fruit garden was once commonplace? Yes, it’s true, especially during times in history when food was scarce. Of course, this recently stopped as the food industry become more commercial and supermarkets began to take over. In recent years, however, people in the western world have started exploring growing their own produce again. Here’s why:

One: It Is Cheaper

Duh, right? If you live in the western world, you will notice now that a lot of supermarket fresh produce is waaaay overpriced. Of course, they will try to advertise like they aren’t. But compare it to the “weekend farmers’ markets” and the reality hits home hard. Growing your own food is the cheapest alternative there is! Of course, the next best thing would be the farmers’ markets.

Two: Quality Control

Whether you are a believer in socialism or free market enterprise, the reality of supermarkets is that fruits and vegetables with higher yields are often favoured. Profit is the name of the game despite what they tell you. What happens as a side effect of this? A compromise in quality of course! If you grow your own, you’re more in control of it.

Three: Freshness

We all want the freshest fruits and veggies possible. It is common knowledge that fresh produce taste better and are healthier if eaten as soon as possible after picking. Truth of the matter is that most fruits from supermarkets are not fresh but snap chilled. While this is good technology, those of us who insist on things being fresh will only get to control it if we grow our own.

Four: Avoidance Of Pesticides

Remember the second point about profits? Well, in order to keep them up, people who produce fruits and veggies in bulk will have to keep pests off, and they often do it with chemical pesticides. Eww, right? Although, to their credit, they do manage to wash some of it off, you can never be too sure! If you grow your own, you’re always in control.

Five: Variety And Options

Perhaps the most compelling reason of all – you get to have fun with the wide variety and options available. This is, of course, on the proviso that you own enough land, and live in a climate where you can actually grow that variety. If you do, all the power to you.

Now it wouldn’t be intellectually honest if I only provided the upside, although I will stick with that bias. The main downside is that all of this is going to take some time and effort, especially at the start. If you are leading a busy lifestyle, this might not be an option for you. But if you can, why not try to grow a few simple ones first? You might like it.

Can or can’t grow? You should still cook: