Join me in creating a Kitchen garden this year!
People who grow their own food care about their health. And they understand the positive impact of being in charge of what they eat.
While everyone should at least find a container or an old boot, fill it with soil, and grow some lettuce on a windowsill, those who are likely to be most successful are those who do a little planning ahead of time.
Why has gardening reached an all-time high?
According to the National Gardening Survey, 77% of American households are gardening. Many people focus on gardening with a purpose. They are kitchen gardeners, keeping edible gardens. Their focus is gardening to enjoy fresh, nutritious, and organic produce right from the backyard.
What is a kitchen garden?
More gardeners than ever are devoting space to growing food. The kitchen garden is about utility, designed for growing fruits and vegetables, herbs, and harvest throughout the year.
What are the benefits of growing your own vegetables?
There are many benefits of growing your own organic food, such as:
You can always eat what’s fresh and learn to appreciate the difference between homegrown and store-bought produce.
You will learn to eat what’s in season, enjoying fruits and vegetables at their peak flavors.
Because you can pick as much food as you need, you don’t have to worry about waste. It is estimated that people who buy their food, waste about 30% of it.
When you grow your own food, you can eliminate pesticides. You are free to harvest chemical-free produce in your kitchen garden. Many store-bought vegetables such as spinach, peppers, celery, and tomatoes contain high amounts of pesticides.
You can taste the difference between homegrown organic food and store-bought food.
There is no need to worry about foodborne illness. Home gardeners can reduce the danger of food contamination. Some of the most common food-borne illnesses are caused by Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria.
Gardening is exercise. You will not only eat fresh produce harvested in your very own kitchen garden, but you will also live a healthier life. Did you know that one hour of gardening burns over 300 calories?
If you want to save money, you will love growing your own food.
Why is growing your own food important?
When you grow your own food, you value it more. Even if you only grow some of your food, you appreciate the effort it took to get to your table. You won’t have to settle for nearly ripe fruit bought at the supermarket. Your family will eat fruits and vegetables ripened in your garden.
Tips for growing your own food at home:
For home gardeners who are lucky enough to have a lot of space in their yard, raised beds could be a great option. Raised beds allow home gardeners to maximize space.
Container gardening is excellent if you have limited space. You can grow almost any kind of vegetable in a container.
Vertical gardening is the ideal choice for urban gardeners. Growing food in such as way at home makes sense if you have to work in a smaller space. Vertical gardening offers many options, but it requires some creativity to get the most out of your space available for gardening.
To maximize space and eliminate the need for walkways, you could grow your food in keyhole gardens. This drought-resistant garden can produce food for your family throughout the growing season.
Even if you don’t have a yard, growing your food in a community garden is an option. In the process, you could make some new friends too.
Why should you grow your own food?
Growing your food gives you the opportunity to grow what you want. You can get your children involved and teach them about the importance of taking control of your food. If your children take part in growing the foods they eat, they will be less picky when it comes to eating.
What are the major health benefits of growing your own food?
Working in your garden helps you stay fit and connected to nature. Gardening activities such as planting, weeding, and digging can strengthen your heart.
Gardening increases muscle strength. Working in your yard keeps your hands and fingers strong.
Eating homegrown fresh fruits and vegetables helps you eat healthier.
You can grow what you want. You can harvest your fruits and vegetables when you want. Vegetables that ripen in your garden have greater nutritional value than store-bought produce.
Gardening improves your mental health, reducing stress, depression, and anxiety. A healthy bacteria, called M. vaccae, may increase serotonin levels and reduce anxiety.
Working in the sun is a great way to get a healthy dose of vitamin D into your body. Vitamin D increases the calcium levels in the body, which benefits your immune system and your bones.
Can you save money by growing your own food?
Families who grow their own food will significantly reduce their grocery expenses. Kitchen gardens are helpful for all income populations.
According to one estimate, a family investing $25 in their kitchen garden could expect to save up to $500 per year on groceries, if they preserve as well as eat their fresh harvests.
Is it worth growing your own food?
When you grow your own food, you don’t just eat fresher and healthier foods, you are also saving money. More important than saving money is that when you grow your own food you are eating the freshest and the highest quality foods.
There are several reasons it is worth it to grow your own food, including:
You are becoming more self-sufficient when you are growing your own food.
Your entire family can take part in growing your food. It is something you work on and enjoy together as a family.
When you grow your own food you know everything about the fruits and vegetables you eat.
Growing food can save you money, as long as you grow the right fruits and vegetables. Not all crops make sense in every climate. You have to do your homework to make sure you plant the right fruits and vegetables in your garden. Talk to experienced gardeners in your area to find out which crops are cheaper to grow.
The fruits and vegetables from your own garden will always be fresh. When you buy fruits and vegetables at the supermarket, you are eating produce that traveled great distances. Some vegetables can be shipped from overseas. Would you rather eat produce grown in your own backyard or produce shipped to your local grocery store from another continent? Remember that only about 2% of imported produce is inspected.
Growing your own food versus buying:
Starting a kitchen garden takes some upfront costs, but in the long run, it makes financial sense.
What to grow and When to plant:
What you choose to grow is up to you, your space, and taste buds. But here are some tips to help you decide:
Try some veggies that require little attention: lettuce and salad greens, zucchini, kale, green onions, tomatoes, basil and other herbs.
Different plants need to be planted at different times. Here is a link to the Old Farmers Almanac link for help in determining when to plant in the specific county where you live.
Here is a link to The National Garden Bureau with great info from planting zones, soil tips, to new plant varieties for beginners and seasoned gardeners.
Some of the most cost-effective homegrown vegetables are:
Turnip
Leek
Cherry tomato
Garlic
Hybrid tomato
Herbs
Spinach
Heirloom tomato
Winter squash
Some of the most least-effective homegrown vegetables are:
Okra
Pole bean
Celery
Bell pepper
Asparagus
Bean
Brussel sprouts
Potato
Bush bean
Green cabbage
As summer progresses, gaps will inevitably start to appear in your garden as plants are harvested. It’s a bad idea to leave those gaps as the bare ground will attract weeds and be prone to erosion during summer storms. Check out these Quick Maturing plants to fill in the gaps Here!
Can you grow veggies in pots?
You can grow vegetables in small containers and pots. Pots make a great edible garden. You don’t need specially made pots for vegetables. As long as they are large enough and located in a sunny area, your vegetables will grow nicely.
How can you grow most of your food?
Starting a kitchen garden is a huge step toward self-reliance. There is nothing more rewarding than eating what you grow. It’s so empowering to walk out to the vegetable garden and pick your own vegetables minutes before you eat.
In order to grow most of your own food, you should:
Maximize your space – To maximize your garden is to understand your space. Your backyard might lack the required sunlight for certain crops. You might want to utilize every square inch of your yard. There may be sloops or areas with rocks.
Improve the soil to include essential nutrients for your crops.
Set realistic goals. How much space do you have? How much time can you invest in gardening? It is best to start small and grow as you learn.
For beginners wanting to plant a larger in-ground garden, here is a great resource from Common Sense Home, in How to Start a Garden – 10 Steps to Gardening for Beginners!
How can growing your own food benefit the planet?
Growing your own food is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Think about the amount of energy it takes to transport produce to the grocery store. Food is transported an average of 1,500 miles before it is consumed.
What are the environmental benefits of growing your own food?
The produce you buy at the grocery store has been treated with pesticides and fertilizers. Many pesticides have been extensively researched and were linked to cancer and other diseases.
When you grow your own food, you say no to monocropping. Monocropping, or growing only one type of crop in huge areas, is a harmful farming practice because it ravages biodiversity. Even worse, monocultures can’t exist without pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, and genetically modified (GMO) seeds.
The statistics of growing your own food:
The average size of a kitchen garden in the United States is 600 square feet. Tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers are the three most popular homegrown vegetables. On average, Americans spend five hours growing their own food.
Can you grow vegetables indoors?
You don’t have to give up on growing your own food just because it’s cold outside, or you have no garden space. With the right amount of light, you can grow small fruits, leafy greens, and herbs.
Finding the ideal location with optimal light is key. If there is insufficient light, you might have to boost your light with grow lamps. This is even more important during the darker winter months.
How to grow food with hydroponics….
Hydroponics gardening is ideal for tomatoes, melons, radishes, lettuce, celery, berries, cucumbers, herbs, and grapes. Hydroponics food gardens are neither expensive nor complicated to set up.
The best plants to grow in a hydroponic garden are:
Chives
Spinach
Blueberries
Basil
Beans
Radishes
Strawberries
Kale
Lettuce
Bell peppers
Cucumbers
Herbs
Mints
Plants with deep roots such as carrots, potatoes, and turnips are more difficult to grow hydroponically.
For more information on Hydroponics, head on over Here to read more about the type of systems, pros and cons, and things to consider!
I hope today’s newsletter has you pumped about starting your garden this Spring. Whether you plant in the ground, in containers or in a community garden, there’s nothing healthier and more rewarding than growing your own food.
I’d love to see pictures of your garden as you get it growing. Email your personal garden pictures to me and we’ll start a bulletin board to showcase your success! LifeHealthCenters@gmail.com