Thursday, May 26, 2011

Guest post authored by Ryan Halston

Numerous Benefits Stemming from Home Gardening
A worldwide growing trend, the commitment to a simpler life and an eco-friendly lifestyle is spreading in popularity. The interest in making choices that benefit on a personal and environmental level have led many to make a change in their normal lifestyles. One of the most popular methods to start a more simple and sustainable life is the choice to begin growing your own fruits and vegetables. The rise in popularity can be attributed to the copious amount of benefits that come from home growth.
The practical economic ramifications are most likely the most popular reason for engaging in a project like growing a home garden. Buying packages of seeds is often much cheaper than purchasing individual products from a grocer. Many fruits and vegetables grow in multiples and a pack of seeds generally equates to the price of two or three of the vegetable. When considering the production longevity of many of the plants, the seeds are certainly more valuable. The home growth of crops assuredly contains a positive financial implication.
Health benefits stemming from home crop development is frequently overlooked due to the financial significance of the choice. When growing foods at home control over all potential influences from chemicals and toxins is assured. Problems associated with pesticidesBisphenol Aissues stemming from asbestos exposure, and melamine have all been documented in the past. The decision to grow your own food prevents the risk of this, and ensures you have control over your food production.
Potentially the biggest positive to home growth is the taste, and the freshness of home grown fruits and veggies. Home crop production removes the middle men, grocers and distribution teams, from the equation. Growing these products in your home makes them readily available and guarantees the freshest crops possible. A choice can be made to cater to your own personal level of taste, and freshness.
It is a smart idea to take some few easy steps toward home growing as opposed to making an all-out adjustment as there can be some bumps in the road. Beginning by growing a small berry plant or fruit tree is an excellent way to get started on the path to home growing, as they provide produce throughout a long life-cycle. With more and more people embracing home gardening, there is a wealth of resources to learn from, and popularity should continue to spread.
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Ryan contacted me and asked if I would be willing to do a guest post on my blog, and I figured- hey, why not?  I think most of us already know what Ryan had to say to be true.  But  now here is a question for you.....what do you feel is the most important reason to garden, and grow edibles?  Is it food security, chemical avoidance, hobby/relaxation, an effort to lower the grocery bill, or unmatched taste as Ryan mentioned?  Maybe some combination of 'everything above'?

Did any of you start vegetable & fruit gardening for one reason, but now find that you continue it for another altogether?  As always, happy gardening.

~Kelly

5 comments:

Erin said...

I got an email from him as well, but alas it was lost in the shuffle with the storm! I think I started to give myself a "me hobby" after I had the kids and be able to feed them good food, as I had grown up on a farm where there was always a garden. Although my "hobby" has ended up being lots of work LOL, it has improved my health enormously, both with nutritive benefits as well as physical, and I'm at the point now where anything commercial just scares the you-know-what out of me, and so I keep on! It is addictive, but in a good way!

Kelly said...

Agreed. And at least for myself, gardening has cost a small fortune. Cedar beds and fencing alone are quite pricey. I think things like fruit bushes, and perennial crops (like asparagus) can pay off big-time in the long run though. I just wish our up-front investment was not so high. It has been an expensive hobby for me!

Veggie PAK said...

I started gardening just because it didn't make sense to me to have a big back yard with nothing in it but grass to cut. As time went on and grandbabies came along, my goal was to teach them as much as I could about organic gardening. I used to wonder about the decision to not use chemicals in my garden, but when I heard my three year old grandson laughing so hard as he ran down between the rows of corn with the leaves hitting him, I knew I made the right decision.

Kelly said...

That made me smile VeggiePAK, good stuff!

sunflower said...

Hello! (lovely blog by the way, I've just wandered over from Heiko's 'path to self sufficiency)
I started growing veg because I kept coming back from the shops feeling cheated. First they got rid of the scales so you had no idea what you were spending til you got to the checkout, then half the stuff was rotting by the next day then, the real clincher, a friend introduced me to monsanto.
It was home grown only for my loved ones from then on.
Tara