Hello World! Welcome Friends! Are you considering growing a garden in your backyard? Before you get rid of your lawn and replace it with vegetable plants, learn more about the pros and cons of growing your own food in your backyard.
The Advantages of Growing a Garden
For some people, it’s not even a question of whether or not to grow a garden. If you’ve been growing vegetables your whole life, it seems like second nature, and stopping would be unnatural. But if you’ve never grown a garden before, you’ll be surprised to learn how many advantages come with growing your own food, from financial savings to better quality food products.
Save Money
There’s a reason that people grew victory gardens during World War II. The United States was still suffering from a depressed economy and severe labor and goods shortages. So when the government called upon people to start growing gardens, a lot of people did, and it helped keep the entire nation afloat. Likewise, with the current high produce prices, you can save a lot of money by growing a garden.
More Nutritious Food
Food grown in organic, humus-rich soils is much more nutritious than food grown in depleted soils. Unfortunately, much of the farmland in the United States has been depleted, and scientists estimate that as much as 50% of the nation’s topsoil is gone. This depletion of topsoil directly affects the nutritional value of the food in grocery stores.
Positive Environmental Impact
Growing a garden versus a lawn in your yard can have a significant environmental impact in a number of ways.
- Composting- when you grow a garden, it’s easier to compost your kitchen scraps with the mulch, weeds, and waste from your garden. Organic waste in landfills is a big problem; you can do your part by composting.
- Save water- gardens require a lot of water, but if they are properly mulched, you can save water by growing a lawn instead of grass. If you choose a drip irrigation system, you can save even more, and you’ll likely notice the savings on your water bill.
- Transportation- food grown in other parts of the country must be transported to your table. Every little bit you can do helps.
Exercise
The human body wasn’t made to sit idly at a desk or computer all day, and the kind of natural exercise that gardening provides is good for your body. So instead of spending time and money at the gym, you could grow your own vegetables and get fresh air.
Scraps for Your Chickens
Backyard poultry farming is a nice way to add fresh meat and eggs to your family’s diet, and when you grow a garden, your chickens will be happy to devour the garden waste.
If you’re new to raising chickens, consider getting a chicken coop on wheels. They come in various sizes, from 5’ x 6’ to 12’ x 12’, so they will fit in any backyard, and you can move them around to keep your chicken coop from getting messy. They’re easy to move and assemble, and your chickens will provide you with plenty of clean, fresh eggs to go with your nutritious vegetables.
Sense of Accomplishment
Activities that provide you with a sense of accomplishment are good for your self-esteem. For example, when you can put a salad on the family dining table and realize that you grew everything in it, that’s a good feeling.
Dirt Is an Antidepressant
Scientists have recently discovered that digging in the dirt is good for you, something gardeners have known for years. There are microbes in the soil that stimulate serotonin production. So, if you’re suffering from depression or anxiety, it’s time to get your hands in the soil.
Disadvantages of Gardening
Okay, gardening isn’t all unicorns and rainbows, and even if you’re an avid gardener, there are still some disadvantages to gardening. Here are some of the challenges that you will face when you’re growing a garden.
Time
Gardening is a big time commitment, and nature waits for no one. When the fruit on the vine is ready to be harvested, it’s not something you can put off until next weekend. The best thing to do, especially if you work full time, is to start with a few small raised beds in your backyard. Once you can manage those, you can take your gardening game to the next level.
Energy
You might like to think you have enough energy to grow a garden, but you have a limited supply of energy to ration on the activities in your life. Between working, kids’ sports, grocery shopping, and socializing, you might only have a little energy left over for gardening.
Space
Only some people have space for growing a garden. For example, if you live in an apartment complex, space for growing your own food just doesn’t exist. You can try container gardening if you have a small patio or volunteer with a community garden. If there isn’t one in your neighborhood, learn how to start a community garden.
Weather
Gardening on a sunny day that’s not too hot is pretty wonderful, but that’s sort of a rarity. A lot of times, gardening requires you to be out in the rain, cold, and wind taking care of chores that must be done on time.
Pests
It’s extremely disheartening when your garden plants get eaten by the fauna in your backyard. Rabbits, deer, and gophers will suddenly show up out of nowhere to chow down on the fruits of your labor. You also need to watch out for creepy crawlies, like spiders and beetles.
The Choice is Clear: It Pays to Grow a Garden in Your Backyard
Once you understand the advantages of growing a garden in your backyard, it’s not even a hard choice. Even though there are some not-so-fun things to deal with, you can still enjoy the benefits of a garden and impress your family with homegrown food at your table.
Click the links below for any posts you have missed:
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Toodles,
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