Reaping the Benefits of Home Gardening

The New Year provides one with the opportunity to start with a clean slate--so to speak.  The chance to begin again; to try something new; to make a change. If you only make one New Year's resolution this year, I strongly encourage you to Grow Something!  Anything!  Plant some tomato bushes; start an herb garden; grow some green beans; or, go all out and sow a backyard vegetable plot.

By growing something on your own, you will surely reap the benefits.  I can carry-on for days about the benefits of home gardening, but for now, I'll just leave you with 3 simple reasons:

1. Homegrown is better!

I'm sure you've heard it a hundred times--you may have even experienced it for yourself. Food grown in your own garden just tastes better!  Strawberries are sweeter; tomatoes have superior flavor; eggplants are less spongey. Instead of eating a mass-produced piece of produce that was sprayed with pesticides, picked before it was even ripe, transported in a truck for several hundred miles, and set in a grocery store until you purchased it, you can enjoy a piece of produce freshly-picked from your own garden.  You can also experience so much more variety!  I love looking for  new and unique plants to try.  This year, I'm planning on experimenting with cucamelons and blue tomatoes. The options are endless though--check out all the different varieties of growing options on Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co.

2. Gardening is good for your soul!

"Idle hands are the devil's handiwork."  Luckily, gardening keeps you busy. It is a fun and sometimes addicting hobby!  The sense of accomplishment and enjoyment associated with tending to your own crops is great for your emotional well-being. And, your neighbors and co-workers will love you when you bring them excess garden goods.  

3. Gardening is good for your health!

Not only does gardening keep you busy and active,but it also is a chance for you to absorb some sunlight!  So many people are deficient in vitamin D these days from being inside all the time.  Go outside, plant some seeds, absorb some sunlight so you can make some vitamin D, and eat healthier, tastier vegetables. Don't think you like veggies?  Grow some--and you might be surprised! I've acquired a taste for many different vegetable varieties just by being a proud grower and tasting some of my garden's beautiful bounty.  I used to be a big tomato hater.  Now, its winter and I'm already fantasizing about what kinds of tomatoes I'm going to grow in the spring.