IMGP0854 – vege garden (Photo credit: RaeAllen)
Guerilla Gardener Ron Finely recently advised us to grow a garden because “growing your own food is like printing your own money.” He was absolutely right! My father grew both a garden and an orchard and rarely fed us store-bought fruits and vegetables. In fact, he was such the urban farmer that he supplied many of the neighborhood entrepreneurial women with produce to sell in their make shift market stalls. The money that he got from selling the vegetables was recycled back into the family and used to buy bread, milk and other food stuff. This year, I am becoming an urban farmer. In addition to saving money here are some of the benefits I will reap.
More nutritious vegetables: Research indicates that fruits and vegetables lose vitamin and mineral content as they age. The produce in the supermarket can be weeks old, picked before its prime and not quite as nutritious as that which is fresh picked. Growing a garden will ensure that I get the maximum nutrition from vegetables and fruit.
Decreased wastage: No worrying about neatly packaged vegetables that force me to buy way more than I need. My garden will allow me to pick only what I need and leave the rest on the plant.
Tastes of home: As an immigrant, access to some of my favorite fruits and vegetables is limited. When available, they are often too expensive to purchase. So, to take me to my Zimbabwean roots, I am growing some leafy greens and will attempt to grow a crop of African Horned Melons. For the price of seeds (literally a fraction of the cost of one), I am going to grow a whole orchard of melons. Okay, maybe not an orchard but quite a few.
Physical activity and stress reduction: The digging, the lugging, the pouring, the planting, the weeding and oh, did I say the digging? With all that work who needs the gym? Gardening can burn up to 200 calories per hour. And there is another added benefit. Growing my own food provides wonderful stress reduction benefits. According to a study from The Netherlands, gardening may be more effective than the usual stress reduction activities ( reading a book, going on a walk etc.). There is something about being in the soil and watching things grow that simply has a magical “ohm” effect.
A lesson for the children: Children eat better when they have had a part in the meal preparation process. How much more will they eat when they have played a part in actually growing the food? Besides, having a lasting science experiment in the backyard is sure to teach them many things. Words like germination and photosynthesis will soon be a part of my toddler’s vocabulary.
Feeding my friends and neighbors: I already know that I will not be able to consume all the produce that I will grow. Luckily, it is not going to go to waste. Some will end up in my freezer for later use but my friends and neighbors will literally get to share in the fruits of my labor as I will be sharing all the excess that grows.
Decreased carbon footprint. No pesticides, no fuel costs. I am doing my part to save the universe.
Last but not least, a garden will be the source of low-calorie, high nutrition snacks . Need I say more?
I want to hear from you. Who is printing their own money? What grows in your garden? If you had a garden what would you grow?
