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Gardening Vs Shopping

Recently I heard on the radio that growing your own vegetables was not necessarily going to save you any money. The solution given for a healthier diet was to go to local farmers markets to get fresher, healthier vegetables than the grocery store.

In the current economic situation many people have decided to start growing their own vegetables to save money. In a recent radio show it was reported this may not be true. The cost of fertilizer, plant food, and insecticides plus the time it takes to tend the garden could end up costing more in the long run. In order to get fresher vegetables without the work visit your local farmers market.

Well, let me tell you something. The additional benefits of growing your own vegetables outweigh any possible additional costs. Personally I have never tried to compare how much I spent on my garden to how much the same amount of vegetables would cost me at the store. Just a quick look at this past season though tells me I'm ahead of the game in more ways than one.

There are more things to consider when comparing grocery store, farmers market, and home grown vegetables than just the bottom dollar spent. Going to the store or farmer's market involves time away from home, sitting in a car, and using gas. Vegetable gardening at home brings you outside in the fresh air and provides an activity that you can shared with other members of the family.

Okay, you can argue that you have to go to the store anyway or the farmer's market provides healthier vegetables without the physical work. Both points are very valid and I'm not condemning either one. I go to both places myself and certainly encourage you to support your local farmers market. After all you would need a pretty good sized garden to supply all your vegetable needs.

Consider this, home vegetable and flower gardening provide other health benefits. Obviously you cannot get vegetables any fresher than just picked from your garden. You control what chemicals, if any, are used in the growing process.

Gardening can reduce stress levels and improve your mood. A new study suggests that doing gardening can combat stress more effectively than other leisure time activities. Experts believe we are maxing ourselves out when it comes to paying attention all the time. When we've reached our limit, we get irritable and over stressed.

The repetitive nature of many of the tasks involved in gardening is all examples of effortless attention.

Gardening provides low impact exercise with repetitive motions like, digging, bending, and weeding. The end result is you've gotten some much needed exercise, fresh air and your landscaping has improved. What better satisfaction can there be then looking at something you've helped develop. You're more likely to keep up this routine compared to exercising. Gardening provides a visible, touchable goal that can be seen right away.

Growing your own vegetables puts you in control of what goes on them. There are many safe organic products available to provide nutrients for your plants and discourage pests and disease.

There are studies concluding that vegetable gardeners increase the amounts of fruits and vegetables they eat over people that do not garden. Gardening can be a family activity and studies show children who help in the garden are more likely to eat more fruits and vegetables also. They also are willing to try new things.

More studies still need to be done but these findings suggest that working outside in the garden brings both physical and mental activity that could have a positive impact on the mind.

While some people might argue the cost of starting a garden is too high, you don't have to have a large garden. You can start small or even in containers. You probably won't be able to grow everything you want but just growing some will benefit you and your family. To get a larger variety, make friends with other gardeners. While you might be growing tomatoes and peppers your neighbor may be growing some other things you can swap for. A package of seeds will typically have more in it than the average home gardener will need so plant a few extras or even share some seed with your friends and family.

If you still end up with an abundance of any vegetables, look for a local chapter of "Grow a Row for the Hungry". It will make you feel good knowing you have helped someone in need.

Some additional benefits of growing your own vegetables include the fact that raw vegetables are good for the digestion. Chewing longer makes you feel fuller so you don't eat as much even though you can eat just about as much as you want since most have even a trace of fat, if any.

Don't forget to add some herbs to your gardening effort. Most herbs are very easy to grow. Some are perennial and evergreen in milder climates. Herbs can provide medicinal, culinary or even cosmetic benefits.

What about the cost of maintaining a garden? One way to keep your garden organic with little cost is to make your own compost. Compost is simply a combination of organic matter that is decomposed. A properly maintained compost pile will not produce any foul odors. Turning your compost pile once or twice a week will help the process and provide some additional calorie burning exercise.

Compost is a soil amendment that adds nutrients to the soil for your plants. You can even make your own compost tea to feed your plants.

What goes into the compost? Grass clippings, fallen leaves, vegetable waste from the kitchen, coffee grounds, egg shells, and tree trimmings are some of the contents. What you don't want to put in are dairy or meat products.

Worm composting provides excellent fertilizer for plants and vegetables. There are many types of worm farms available for purchase or you can easily build your own.

Like I said I've never really compared what I've spent on gardening vs. buying my vegetables. Let's face it I can't garden year round either. But here is a quick comparison based on this year's garden.

My success this year has been with Spinach, Romaine Lettuce, Armenian Cucumbers, Eggplant, and Bell Peppers. My tomatoes did not do as well as I'd like. I got a few heads of White Cabbage but didn't do so good with the Red Cabbage. Lack of attention to my Green Beans led to poor production.

Armenian Cucumbers are a large cucumber that can grow over 24 inches long and 4 inches in diameter. Regular cucumbers were about $1 at the grocery store. It would take 2 or 3 store bought cucumbers to equal what I was taking to work for lunch. That's up to $15.00 a week for 6 weeks or more. The package of seed cost me less than $3.00. Not only do I have more cucumbers growing for a fall garden, I still have some seeds left over. I used mostly compost and compost tea to feed my cucumbers. On top of that, I shared a number of these with someone at work and my neighbor who just so happened to have an abundance of tomatoes this year. That's what I call a "Win Win".