Hooray! The frost is lifting, the flowers are blooming, the birds are singing and the glorious sun is shining… because Spring is here (on this side of the planet at least)! Which means it’s the perfect time to get outside and enjoy this beautiful season. And what better way to do so than with a spot of gardening… So today’s blog is all about why a little spring gardening can be good for your family.
5 REASONS TO GROW YOUR OWN FOOD THIS SPRING
1. IT SAVES YOU MONEY
Ok, so starting a vege patch can have a few initial expenses, but in the long run, they will pay off. Plus, you don’t have to go all out and create a mammoth vege patch in your backyard to enjoy the benefits of homegrown food. I few stray pots lying around, a bit of soil and some seeds and voila! You have the beginnings of a vege patch.
Want to start small? Even a few pots of herbs can save you dollars. Have you seen the price of fresh herbs lately? For less than a bunch of parsley from the store, you can buy a packet of seeds or a punnet of seedlings, pop them in a pot and reap the benefits for the entire spring and summer. Money saved!
If you are willing to go a bit bigger, a couple of square meters can be enough space to grow all your salad veges. For the price of some seeds, water and organic fertilizer you can turn that neglected sunny corner patch of your garden into a vege patch and reap the rewards for many months. Plant in stages some lettuce, capsicum, tomatoes, shallots, radish and cucumbers along the fence and you will fill your salad bowl with fresh goodness until next winter.
2. IT HELPS TO IMPROVE YOUR KIDS FOOD INTELLIGENCE
Growing your own fresh food is the best way to teach your kids about the joy of natural clean eating. Getting them involved in the gardening helps to consolidate the food intelligence you are teaching them and establishes healthy life skills too. Putting in the effort from the very beginning creates an investment from which your kids will benefit for life – the responsibility of caring for a plant from seed to the plate is invaluable. As Stephanie Alexander and Jamie Oliver so often mention, kids are more likely to eat veges they have planted, grown, prepared and cooked themselves.
3. IT HELPS YOU RECONNECT WITH THE UNIVERSE
Let’s get a little hippy and earth loving and talk about the inner benefits of connecting with this fabulous planet of ours by getting our hands and feet in the bare earth. As I spend more and more time on all things TFW, I am increasingly appreciating the importance of spending time outside with my bare feet on the grass and the sun on my skin. You don’t need all the scientific data to tell you it’s healing for your body and your soul… the little bit of hippy in us all knows it’s true. Growing your own food in your garden will not only help your insides, but will energise your entire being.
4. HOMEGROWN FRESH FOOD IS ADDITIVE FREE NATURALLY
Growing your own food means you can cook with delicious fresh ingredients that taste amazing and are full of goodness. You can flavour your foods with fresh herbs instead of seasonings, crunch on freshly picked veges and not have a speckle of additives in sight. Plus, there is not storage in a cold room for weeks on end before it hits your table, it’s just a pick and eat… It really doesn’t get more additive free and fresh than a homegrown garden!
5. YOU CAN GO ORGANIC TOO
Ok, maybe your soil hasn’t been tested and approved as completely organic and chemical free, but you can get the next best thing to organic food in your own backyard by having complete control over what you put on your plants as they are growing. No need for harmful pesticides that create all kinds of nasty health problems for life. No need to spray every insect you see. Instead, create your own little natural ecosystem with some gorgeous lady bugs and clever worms, pop in a bit of natural fertilizer from your fish tank or an organic seaweed solution and watch your veges thrive! Going organic doesn’t have to be out of your price range… especially if you grow your own and adopt the additive free, fresh food first policy by making your snacks and meals with homegrown goodies from your own backyard.
So there you have it. Five rather persuasive reasons to get outdoors and start your own homegrown vege patch or herb garden this glorious spring. To help with your gardening, my biggest tip is to head to the Diggers website for the best advice and all the organic goodies you could need to get you started. Click here for the link. (No, I’m not affiliated with Diggers… I’m just a big fan of such fantastic earth loving, organic promoting and heirloom producing folk, and they deliver :-))
Once you’ve got your vege patch or herb garden up and running, I’d love to see pics of your creations! You can share them on The Food Werewolf Facebook page by clicking here.
Happy gardening!
Loren x
PS If it’s getting colder instead of warmer in your neck of the woods, you can still have some delicious fresh homegrown food by creating a little greenhouse on your patio or growing some fresh herbs in your kitchen to pop in those warm winter stews 🙂
