In earlier articles I have canvassed the numerous physical and mental health benefits of consuming organic food, as well as the sustainability and environmental
benefits of organic farming as compared with conventional farming practices. Don't forget to check out
Varun Venaik
In this article I outline 5 reasons why you should start growing your own organic food. I hope this inspires you to get outside in the sun and start planting some seeds!
Save (or earn!) money
You may recall my earlier blog post where I talk about the common perception that eating organic food can be expensive, and suggest a number of tips for saving money whilst still consuming organic produce. One of my suggestions was for readers to consider growing their own organic produce.
The monetary benefits associated with growing your organic produce should not be underestimated – doing this can save you hundreds of dollars over the course of a year.
Naturally you may have an initial outlay of costs to purchase the necessary tools, seeds, potting mix etc – but if you’re savvy then you won’t need to spend too much on these things – just buy basic equipment and look for sales, it definitely shouldn’t cost you a fortune!
If you grow fruits and vegetables in quantities that exceed your and your family’s needs you can even start selling these online (for example on
Facebook Marketplace) – so it can even turn into a money-making hobby or a side-hustle!
Self-grown organic produce is much tastier than store bought produce
My own gardening journey started with me growing herbs (basil, parsley and coriander) in small pots in my apartment. When I first tasted my homegrown herbs I was absolutely blown away by the bursts of flavour and freshness that were packed into each leaf, store bought herbs absolutely do not compare.
Any home grown organic produce, whether it’s a carrot, a tomato or a cucumber is bound to taste far superior to anything you can purchase from the supermarket. The main reason for this is because the process of packaging and transporting and shipping produce from a farm (even an organic farm) to a supermarket or produce store necessarily compromises the flavour of the produce. It’s just not the same as plucking something from the garden and walking over to your kitchen bench to put it in your dish.
Mental and physical health benefits
I’ve spent time talking about the very many physical benefits of consuming organic food in my earlier articles – by growing your own organic produce you’ll be consuming food that is free from toxic pesticides which has higher vitamin and mineral levels than conventionally grown produce.
But in addition to this, don’t underestimate the significant physical benefits of gardening. Digging a hole in the ground, carrying a heavy bag of compost from one side of your garden to the other, squatting down to plant seeds in the ground – all these activities burn calories, and lots of them! You’d be surprised at how much incidental exercise you can achieve just by doing an hour or two of gardening – gardening for 30-45 minutes is considered to be a physical exercise of moderate intensity according to the
US Department of Health & Human Services National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
Gardening is also excellent for mental health – have you ever noticed the way you feel after being around nature, plants and crops? It’s an excellent mood-booster, not least because it provides you with sunshine and plenty of fresh air.
Reduce food wastage
One amazing benefit I’ve noticed with growing my own organic produce is that it has drastically reduced my food wastage. When I was buying produce from the supermarket, my kitchen bin would often be filled to the brim with vegetables/fruits scraps e.g. carrot tops, apple cores etc. Now that I have started growing my own organic produce, these days I hardly throw away any scraps from produce, these are thrown into my compost pile which makes its way back to the soil to provide nutrients for the vegetables and fruits I am growing – it’s a wonderful circle of life!
I’ll be talking a little more about composting in my later articles.
You don’t need a huge backyard!
Many people are quick to give up on the idea of growing their own produce because they assume that it requires a vast amount of land. This is simply not true! As I mentioned above, my first foray into organic gardening was growing herbs on the balcony of my tiny little apartment in the middle of the city. Obviously, the more space you have the better (as you can grow a greater variety of produce), but don’t underestimate what you can grow on a balcony or, even better, a courtyard. There are many vegetables, herbs and leafy plants that you can grow in containers in small spaces or in pots. The hardest part is taking the first step to head to your local hardware and gardening store and picking up the necessarily supplies e.g. potting mix, seeds, pots, tools etc. Once you’ve done this you’ll be amazed at how quickly your gardening momentum builds and how seamlessly things come to life.
Happy gardening!
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