Why I Love My Vegetable Garden

In these times of economic recession, increased unemployment and sky-rocketing petrol and food costs, it seems sensible to look backward and to reclaim our frugal heritage,to start looking for good, old-fashioned, sensible solutions to stretch our hard earned money. A great way to do this is to grow your own vegetables.  It sounds so quaint and vintage (does that mean its cool?) and perhaps a bit daunting to the novice.  But believe me, its well worth the effort and not as difficult as you might think.  It needn’t cost anything much to set up, and if you save your seeds each year you will always have what you need to keep your garden growing no matter what happens around you! Here are 10 reasons why I love my vegetable garden:

1. Fresh vegetables taste best!!

   Lets face it, shop brought vegetables are bland and insipid.  They might look more uniform and appetising then their home grown counterparts, but they don’t taste anywhere near as delicious.

2. I know my vegetables are organically grown

   I choose not to use chemical sprays in my garden.  Instead I go for a mixture of companion planting, natural sprays (like garlic) and some manual removal of pests (such as removing White Butterfly eggs and offspring).  It works just fine.

3. I get a good workout digging, weeding and planting

   If you have a decent sized garden in your backyard then you can forget about needing to get a gym membership.  After a good hour in the garden you’ll definitely be feeling the burn.

4. It makes my hard earned money go further

   It will substantially reduce your grocery bill - in fact once you start growing your own vegetables you will probably be able to eat better than ever for less money.  How good is that?

5. Gardening is a meditation

   It is very calming and satisfying to spend time in the garden.  If you are focussed and mindful in your garden tending you can come away with a fresh persepective and fully rejuvenated attitude after your time in the garden.

6. My kids know where their food comes from

   Some kids think their food originates in the supermarket.  My kids know that their vegetables grow in the ground.  They know that growing vegetables takes some work and appreciate that all their food is made by someone, somewhere.  They know that in real life (at least here in New Zealand) you can’t really get tomatoes all year round. . . Which brings me to no. 7:

7. It keeps me in touch with the seasons

   There are different tasks to do in the garden in each season.  I look forward to the relative quiet of winter after the flurry of harvesting in Autumn.  I love the busy flourishing of spring and the ripening of summer.  I look forward to the different seasonal produce.  A garden really is great for helping you to appreciate the seasons.

8. It is a great fun family activity

   As a family we have great fun in the garden.  Even if your children are very young, they can help with the digging, taking weeds to the compost and helping to plant seeds and seedlings.  At this stage they need lots of direction and lack a long attention span, but you never can start a child too young when it comes to gardening!!

9. It reduces our rubbish

   All our suitable organic waste is composted.  It means no smelly rubbish bags full of food scraps, less rubbish bags than we would otherwise have to use - and best of all lots of rich, nutritious soil in our garden.

10. Its better for the environment

    Growing your own food is good for the environment in so many ways.  Your vegetables don’t need any packaging, it takes zero food miles to get them to your table, you can reduce your rubbish by composting and feed your soil, it keeps you fit and fed well with healthy food, it helps develop a real affinity with nature an appreciation of its wonder and sense of stewardship.