Is It Worth the Time and Money to Grow Your Own Food?

Pile of freshly harvested potatoes with garden folk.As more and more people are not only becoming increasingly aware of how they spend their money, but also of the various things that they can do to preserve the environment, many individuals have been spending less time at their local grocery store and opting to grow their own food instead. And while it may initially seem like a really good thing to do (and for many reasons, it is), the reality is that, as with most things in life, there are pros and cons that come with making that decision.

If you’ve been wondering if it’s worth the time and money to grow your own food, we wanted to provide you with a few things to think about before relying on your own backyard garden to supply all of your fruit and garden needs.

The Pros of Growing Your Own Food

Let’s start with the many reasons why it can be a good idea to start your own garden. One reason is that studies have proven that you use a significantly less amount of energy in order to cultivate one. That’s why a lot of environmentalists believe that having your own garden is a sustainable alternative to purchasing the “supermarket version” of a lot of plants. Also, when you’re responsible for your own food, you can control how the food is grown and the kind of pesticides and fertilizers that you use. Another great benefit of growing your own food is that it’s good for your mental and physical health. Having your own garden encourages creative and strategic thinking and it also helps to relieve stress. Plus, you can get a good cardio workout by working in your garden. And finally, if all goes well, you will have a bountiful supply of fruits and vegetables. That way, you can save money and fuel by simply walking out to your garden to get the foods that you need rather than driving to a local grocery store in order to get them.

The Cons of Growing Your Own Food

As you can see, whether you decide to start your own garden or you opt to hire a landscaping company such as RTC Landscaping and Stonework to assist you, there are a lot of benefits that come with growing your own food. However, there are a few “cons” that we wanted to make sure that you took into consideration as well. For one thing, it should not be assumed that you can save money by starting your own garden. Based on what you desire to grow and how large you want your garden to be, the cost of equipment and tools can sometimes be a bit expensive. Also, because many people who garden at home do not do it on a professional level, they tend to lose a lot of their crop due to wildlife and pesticides during the first couple of years of learning how to grow a garden. It also bears mentioning that farmers work long, hard hours to get the kind of results that they want. So, if you’re not someone who can devote hours of time (literally) to your garden on a weekly basis, then you might want to go with doing a bit of indoor gardening instead. For more information on growing different kinds of fruits and vegetables in jars, go to TLC.HowStuffWorks.com and put “66 Things You Can Grow” in the search field. Good luck.