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If you have thought about growing your own food but have not done it yet, now is the time! It is a new year, and with that comes the opportunity to try new things, expand our skills, and enjoy fresh produce in our homes. While you can also grow fruits and herbs to enjoy, let’s focus on vegetables today. There are many benefits to starting to plant them in your garden, and these are the top five reasons.
1. Lower Food Costs
If you go to the shop a lot and are on a budget, you already know the cost of food is high. As much as you work, with the kids needing new things for school and meal ingredients on sale being something you constantly have to look for, there never seems to be enough money. In addition to saving money in other ways, you can trim the food budget with a garden.
With care and attention to soil quality and deciding what to grow based on the climate, you can grow a big crop in summer. Freeze what your family cannot eat right away to then use it in colder months; that will prevent anything from expiring before you are able to eat it. You will also save money on gas for the car as you will not drive to the store as often.
2. Encourages Your Kids to Love Nature
Do your children often stay inside playing games on the computer, and do you want them to get outside more? If so, try introducing them to gardening as a fun activity that gets them out in nature. Ask them to help with planting seeds to get them involved from the start. After you buy seed potatoes online, encourage them to help you water and tend to the plant as it grows. Then, when they help you pick the potatoes for dinner, they will feel great about the accomplishment.
As you grow things, your kids are likely to ask questions. Do your best to answer them and research the answers together if you are unsure about the information. The time together helps you bond in ways you hadn’t imagined!
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3. Eat More Veg
You and your family may not eat enough vegetables. If that is the case, planting root, summer, and green vegetables that tend to do well in the UK can be the answer. After making the effort to grow the plants, you are unlikely to waste them. That means you will bring them inside, wash them to clean, and then cook them to serve to your loved ones as part of a delicious supper. You are likely to have more variety in the dishes you make and get a more balanced diet.
A benefit is that your kids will get nutrients from the veg that can benefit their development. Choose veg that they are more likely to want to eat and ones that are easier for them to pick with you, such as beans, potatoes, and carrots.
4. Help the Environment
If you are like me, you want to do more eco-friendly activities at home. Planting your own vegetables is a wonderful way to do that. It lowers carbon emissions, for example, as there is no need to transport the food to the shop. Thus, you are not using fossil fuels as much. Also, as the vegetables do not need to be shipped from far away, you are helping combat global warming.
Also, when you think about it, you help the planet as you won’t drive to the store to get food as often anymore, thus reducing your environmental impact by lowering air pollution. There are many ways your actions help future generations, which includes when your small kids become adults and have their own families.
5. Enjoy Fresher Food
Is it a myth that veg you grow at home tastes better? No, as it is very fresh! You are not going to the shop for lettuce, radish and other veg that have been sitting there for several days.
It will not be looking or tasting its best at that point. Instead, simply go to your back garden and pull up the plants you want to prepare in the kitchen to eat that same day. That is as fresh as you can get, and having more options can make family meal planning easier. What to grow in what month depends on where you live, of course, and how long each one takes to grow.
As you plant more, you may find the plants expanding each time you go outside to check on them, which is exciting. Watching them grow is very rewarding after making the effort to water regularly and attend to them. The activity will become part of your day that you look forward to, and you can show off the veg after picking them on the dinner table and as gifts for family and friends. They will love being able to also enjoy fresh food with your kind presents, especially if they are on a budget too.
Summarizing the Benefits: Growing Veg This Year
Many positives come from starting a vegetable garden at home, including increasing the number of veg your kids eat, providing opportunities for you to bond with them as a parent, and lowering your impact on the environment. Your family can look forward to more time outdoors planting veg, enjoying what grows, and feeling good about helping the planet.
If you start this year, you are sure to learn a lot about gardening. The main thing is to start small to avoid feeling overwhelmed, as the hobby will be new. Perhaps next year, when you are more comfortable, you will expand to fruit and herbs. Over time, your children may help out even more and one day have their own gardens!
There is a lot to look forward to, including fresh produce. When you put in the time and learn how to do it properly, many good things will come. Or, I should say, many delicious things!
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