3 reasons growing your own food is good for your health

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If you haven’t tried growing your own food before, you might be surprised at the health benefits it provides. Homegrown food is nutritious, and gardening is a great form of physical activity that can boost your mood and ensure you soak up lots of healthy vitamin D.

Plus, gardening is a great money-saver. You can usually buy a packet of seeds for a few dollars at your local garden store that can yield dozens of plants that produce food throughout the entire growing season. Basic kitchen crops like tomatoes, lettuce, peppers and herbs are forgiving, so you don’t even need a green thumb (or prior gardening experience) to get started.

The health benefits of growing your own food

1. More vitamins, minerals and nutrients in your diet. When you grow your own food, you generally incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet. Fresh-from-the-garden food is not only incredibly tasty, but also has more nutritional value compared to what you might find at the grocery store. That’s because store-bought produce often travels long distances and spends a lot of time in storage, which can cause it to lose some of its nutrients.
2. Control over what you eat. When you grow your own food from seeds, you’re able to select varieties of fruits and vegetables that aren’t as commonly available, including unique heirloom varieties. You also have control over which fertilizers and pesticides come into contact with your food, which may be a health priority for some.
3. Increased physical activity. Tending to your own garden is a great opportunity to get outside for some fresh air and a bit of exercise on a regular basis. Gardening helps improve your heart health, decrease stress, boost your mood and energy and relieve anxiety and depression.

Deciding where to grow your food

OK, so you’re sold on starting your own garden. Now you have to decide where the best spot is to grow your food. Whether you have a small patio or a large yard, there are a few options for starting your garden.

• Containers are ideal if you don’t have a lot of space (like an apartment deck) and want to get started with little work. You can find small, medium and large pots in a variety of heights, and can easily grow lettuce, garlic, peppers and herbs.
• Raised beds can come in a ready-to-build kit or you can get your own wood to build them yourself. These are a good option if you don’t have ideal soil for growing but you have a good amount of space (most garden beds are at least 2x4 feet).
• Community garden plots are a great way to garden if you don’t have the space for a raised bed but still want to plant more vegetables than will fit in a few containers. Garden plots can often be reserved at no cost or for a small fee, depending on the organization that provides them. You can find a community garden in your area through the American Community Gardening Association.

If you lack outdoor space and still want to grow your own food, you can try your hand at hydroponic growing — which means growing directly in water. You can find hydroponic growing systems at home improvement stores or online, which often have kits that let you grow lettuce greens, herbs and even some smaller varieties of vegetable plants like tomatoes and peppers.

Homegrown is good

No matter how you choose to grow your own food, you’re doing something that benefits your health, wallet and taste buds. So, what are you waiting for? Pick a few of your favorite produce seeds and get your garden going.