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Do you like the idea of growing your own vegetables? As well as being a popular hobby, it can improve your health and also cut your daily food expenses.

Gardening enhances quality of life

When we buy fresh vegetables in the supermarket, it’s easy to avoid thinking about the production process and environmental impact. And because manufacturing costs are inevitably built into the price, you can end up paying more for lower quality.

By growing your own fruit and vegetables, you can reduce your food expenditure while helping to lower your carbon footprint. If you’re not very knowledgeable about plants and gardening, a plant identifier app can be really useful.

These days, plant, flower and tree identification is easy to reach within one click.  You can use your smartphone and install a plant identifier app in the App store to get started. LiLy plant identification has a rich informational database and will help you get to grips with your garden.

vegetable garden

Why it’s worth taking the time to grow your own vegetables

Modern life is busy, and it’s easy to see why the idea of growing your own vegetables can feel daunting. It’s not hard to buy fresh fruit and veg, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best option.

Here are a few advantages of homegrown produce when compared to shop-bought alternatives.

1. Grow your own reduces the chemical impact on the environment and our health

Commercial farming includes numerous mechanical processes with heavy equipment that uses fuel for production and transportation. That causes significant carbon emissions. In addition, products may contain pesticides and other additives to extend shelf life.

In contrast, growing your own vegetables at home allows you to avoid chemical additives and associated carbon emissions. You can enjoy organic food without the price tag and environmental impact.

person digging in soil

2. Gardening establishes a connection with nature

Taking care of your garden makes you feel more connected with nature, and gives you a sense of achievement as you enjoy the results of your work. You will never get this sense of wellbeing from bringing food home from the supermarket!

In addition, there are so many interesting edible plants that you can grow. It definitely broadens the range of fruit and vegetable varieties you can try.

3. Vegetable gardening can increase health, wellbeing and overall quality of life

Creating new things is always a rewarding process. Treating your household with delicious fruits, vegetables and herbs picked straight from the garden is a genuine source of satisfaction, and can also encourage you to eat more healthy foods.

And of course, the physical nature of gardening makes it an ideal way to stay active and fit. It’s even proven to lower stress levels and support good mental health.

person holding a wooden crate of vegetables

4. Growing your own vegetables helps you cut your food budget

We all know that balanced nutrition can be expensive. Growing your own produce costs much less and can help you cut your food budget.

Yes, there will be some initial setup costs for things like plants, compost and tools. However, you can make savings here by doing things like making your own compost and growing plants from seed.

If you grow more produce than you need, you can also consider selling it. Whether that’s from a stall outside your home or at a local market, there is potential to make additional savings.

Thinking about growing your own vegetables?

Hopefully this article has given you lots of good reasons to have a go at growing your own fruit and vegetables. A gardening or plant-dedicated mobile application is a useful resource for this hobby, and can provide tips and advice to help you grow a bumper harvest. You might also like to take a look at this list of easy to grow vegetables for more inspiration.

Catherine

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