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 In this day and age, gardening is becoming all the
more popular for a variety of reasons. Tending and taking care of
young plants can be therapeutic. Gardening can be fun and relaxing,
and you get rewarded. The first harvestable vegetable that goes onto
the dinner table is a time of special observation and gratitude for
what they earth can supply if we work with it.
In benefits to gardening versus purchasing at the supermarket, you
know what you’re getting when you get it from your own back yard -
less or no harmful pesticides and fresh means more nutrients.
And you might save money as well. Buying “organic” in the store can
be costly, and in most cases, you still don’t know what products of
“organic origin” may have been used on the crop while it was
growing.
Here’s a nutrition factoid: The nutritional value of green beans
leaches out within seven days after being picked. So, by the time
green beans make it to the grocery store produce department there is
a good chance they have little to no nutritional value left, they
become empty calories in the daily diet.
On the other hand, you raise green beans in your back yard, you can
go out in the morning and pick them, snap them, wash them, and cook
them for dinner that same night. When the beans are that fresh, you
get 100 percent of the nutritional value from the bean; not to
mention the unbelievable great taste you won't get from a store
bought bean.
Everyone today can benefit by reducing their consumption of foods
with added sugars, salts and preservatives. Most diabetes, which is
on the rise, can be prevented or controlled by diet. Salt in our
diets leads to high blood pressure and heart disease.
Outside of the produce department, you won’t find a whole lot of
sugar or salt-free foods. By growing your own food you gain more
control over the quality of what you eat and the incentive to eat
healthier. As an added bonus you'll burn more calories working in
the garden and sleep better too.
The Healthy Communities Partnership - Get Healthy campaign advises
that every person should eat a minimum of five servings of fruits
and vegetables per day. If we have ready access to those healthy
vegetables, we have the potential to reduce our body weight and
become healthier.
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 If you have little to no experience in vegetable
gardening, then perhaps you’ll want to be careful in what and how
much you choose to grow for a first time experience.
Check out this video:
Beginner
Gardening: The 10 Easiest Vegetables to Grow
Container gardening is also a good way to get started without
tearing up your lawn. Try some containers this year, see if you like
working with the plants and caring for them. If it is something you
enjoy, then next year consider expanding your horizons.
A favorite summertime veggie for many is the garden tomato. There is
no doubt that what you grow on your own is going to taste better
than what you purchase at the supermarket. What makes the difference
is simple: What you grow at home is grown outdoors in the fresh air
and bright sunshine. It ripens on the vine, and fills with flavor as
it matures in the hot summer weather.
This is a great video on how to grow tomatoes in containers. This
could be a great starting point if you are a novice gardener!
Principles for
growing container tomatoes: Soil, planting, fertilizer, watering,
side-dressing One word of caution with
container gardening: Watering is key. Especially if you have your
containers on a hard surface such as a concrete patio; when the heat
rises outdoors, it also rises in the concrete and will ultimately
dry out your planter. For busy folks, the worry of keeping the soil
moist may be too much, but as always, there is an easy DIY fix.
Water drip bottles can be made in a matter of minutes. Fill the
bottles once a day and let them do the work for you!
Here’s
How to Make a
Water Bottle Drip Feeder
You may have noticed, those avid gardeners out early with their
tillers have an extra glow and smile more too. So, give gardening a
try this year and you may find the effort is well returned in fresh
ripe tastier veggies and a healthier you.
[Nila Smith]
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