Growing your own food may seem like a gruesome and challenging task. But you should know, it actually isn't that bad, and the benefits you'll get from it are totally worth your time. All you need is a fairly small outdoor space — or even a sunny balcony or patio will do — and you're ready to go!
Keep these eight benefits in mind if considering to grow your own fruits and veggies:
PESTICIDE-FREE
Did you know? Some — if not all — vegetables and fruits that you buy at the supermarket can retain some of the pesticides used during the production process. I'm telling you, dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate (dacthal) —or any unpronounceable substance for that matter — isn't something you want to get into your body.
With this in mind, growing your own veggies is an easy way of guaranteeing you're getting clean and healthy food into your system.
MONEY SAVING
When having the option to buy a packet of seeds for less than a dollar, it's just a matter of time until your grocery bill starts shrinking and your pantry starts filling up!
FARM TO TABLE EXPERIENCE
There's nothing fresher than getting your greens and fruits from your garden and to your table for a tasty salad. This is also the best way to ensure you're getting the most out of your food's flavor!
LOWERS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
By growing your own food, you're preventing the use of plastics and other polluting materials in which food at supermarkets are wrapped up in to endure the distributing process and time it takes for a tomato to reach the final consumer's hands "undamaged". Let's reduce our plastic footprint!
REDUCES FOOD WASTE
133 billion pounds correspond to the amount of food waste in the US in only a year! This is 30 to 40 percent of the country's annual food supply. Given that you can buy a pound of tomatoes at your local supermarket for around $2, it is no surprise that most people don't even care if any of them go bad before they eat them. I promise this will not be the case for the beets and carrots you've watched grow for the past few weeks! Gratitude awaits for the backyard gardeners!
DISCIPLINE DEVELOPER
Taking care of your precious red bell peppers is an everyday duty, so you'll have to develop your discipline in order to be rewarded by your hard work and patience.
Spoiler: It is totally worth it!