The animals, human beings included, have three different food habits. They eat only plants, they eat other animals, and they eat plants as well as other animals. When we categorize animals according to the food habits, they will fall into one of three groups: omnivore, the one who eats plants and other animals (vegetables, cereal, meat, eggs, fish, etc.), vegetarian, the one who eats plant (cereal, vegetables, etc.), and carnivore, the one who eat only meat products. Human beings have also developed other kinds of food habits, for example, the vegan who eat only plant products and avoid earning animal products including dairy products. Irrespective of our eating habits, vegetables are an integral part of our daily diet.
Whether we are omnivores, vegetarians, or just vegan, all of us eat vegetables. Vegetables not only provide us energy, but also are a great source of vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and antioxidants. Vegetables are low fat, low-calorie foods, and highly nutritious foods therefore, you should eat as many vegetables as you can.
With the invention of technologies, we have been able to increase the yield of crop production; however, this has not stopped the price of foods going up. In recent time, food price has gone so high that for average income families, it has been extremely difficult to eat good food. Here lies the importance of growing your own food and you can start with vegetable gardening.
If you are living in the countryside and have spare land, you can easily grow a different variety of vegetables. However, even if you live in cities and do not have land, you can easily grow vegetables in your front yard, backyard, terrace, balconies, lobby, deck, portico, patio, or any space inside and outside your home.
Growing vegetables have two benefits, one you save money on your food, two you get to eat healthy food. There is also another major benefit of vegetable gardening. Apart from relieving you from financial stress related to food prices, you can also improve your physical, mental, and emotional health. Vegetable gardening can improve self-esteem, promote heart health by reducing blood pressure and improving blood circulation, reduce stress and anxiety and make you happy.
How You Can Save Money By Growing Vegetables
A single tomato plant can give you at least 20 kilograms of tomatoes, which can fulfill the need for tomatoes for a family of four for at least one month. One okra plant can supply enough okra for soup for the entire money. Imagine how much money you can save by growing one tomato plant or one okra plant.
Vegetables do not take a lot of space, you can easily grow different varieties of vegetables in a vase, sacks, containers, etc. Another benefit of growing vegetables is an early harvest. Just in less than 60 days, your vegetables will start giving produce.
You can grow any vegetables you want, however, the best way to benefit from vegetable gardening is by choosing vegetables that let you harvest multiple times. Therefore, it is more beneficial to grow vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, okra, eggplants, lettuce, beans, and the likes.
With the invention of technologies like hydroponic gardening, warehouse gardening, greenhouse gardening, growing vegetables in urban areas has become easier and of course profitable.
If you are health conscious, you might want to eat organic vegetables. However, organically produced vegetables are very expensive. Interestingly, you can grow organic vegetables for a small price.
The best thing is it does not cost a lot of money to grow your own vegetables. You might have to buy seeds if you are growing the first time, however, after that, you can make your own growing seeds from ripe produce. You can easily make compost from your kitchen waste and grow organic vegetables. Actually growing vegetables is also good for the environment. You can reuse wastewater, you can make compost from organic waste. By growing your own vegetables, you will also be saving the environment.
How You Can Save Your Health By Growing Your Own Vegetables
Vegetables we buy in supermarkets are commercially farmed. Commercial farming uses a lot of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and insecticides. By eating commercially farmed vegetables, we are putting a lot of toxic substances inside our bodies. Commercial farming also uses a genetically modified organism (GMO). Furthermore, businesses also use chemical substances in order to stop vegetables from decaying. Harmful substances and GMO in the vegetables do more harm and good.
However, when you grow your own vegetables, you can not only eat fresh produce but also get to eat vegetables that are free from harmful chemicals. Fresh produce has more nutritional value than the produce treated with chemicals.
Another major health benefit of growing vegetables is you can eat organic produce. Organically farmed vegetables are better than the vegetables grown by using chemical fertilizers and insecticides.
Growing vegetables is also good for your health because you will get good exercise while working in your vegetable garden. Gardening will improve your mental health and physical health.
Growing Your Own Vegetable: Things To Remember
While growing vegetables, you have to remember a couple of things. You have to choose the varieties that are favorable to the particular season or climate. You also need to know about the basics of vegetable gardening such as preparing potting soil, making your own organic fertilizer, necessary nutrients for your vegetable plants, watering the plants, protecting your plants from insects and pests, etc.