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Why Grow Your Own? Growing your own fruit and vegetables is a fun and rewarding hobby. Not only does it open up a whole new world of fresh, seasonal vegetables, but it makes you more in tune with nature and helps you to lead a healthier lifestyle. Here’s a scary fact – fossil fuels supply 90% of the world’s energy but we are using them 100,000 times faster than they are being made. With this non-renewable energy source running out very quickly, it’s pretty obvious that we need to start investing in other sustainable energy sources right now. Burning fossil fuels is also the biggest cause of greenhouse gas emissions caused by humans. It is widely believed that greenhouse gas (CO2) emissions play a major role in one of the biggest environmental issues that today’s society faces – climate change. What has this got to do with growing your own vegetables and keeping chooks, you ask? Commercial food production uses massive amounts of non-renewable energy for activities such as chemical spraying, machine harvesting, transport and storage. By purchasing all of your food from the supermarket you are directly supporting these systems and indirectly increasing your own carbon footprint. You are also adding ‘food miles’ to your trolley. ‘Food miles’ is a term coined for measuring how much energy has been spent on your food before it reaches your trolley. Research conducted by CERES has shown that an average shopping basket of 29 items (dairy, meat, fresh fruit and veg and processed food) has travelled a total distance of more than 30,000 kilometres – that’s almost a lap around the Earth. The best way to reduce your food miles is simply to grow your own. By picking a home-grown carrot or freshly laid egg from your backyard you are getting your food directly from the source – no chemical spraying, transport, cold storage – in other words, ‘food miles’ – in between. Growing your own food means you no longer have to rely on fossil fuel for everything you put in your mouth. Now is the time for us to make some changes to help restore the environment, and it all starts – literally – in our own gardens. Health BenefitsIf you grow your own food, you are more likely to eat it within a few hours of harvesting it. This means there will be a greater number of nutrients in the food, and therefore in you. A greater number of vitamins, antioxidants and minerals will boost your immune system and help expel harmful free radicals from the body (free radicals attack the body’s cells, and can lead to the development of diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s). The physical activity of digging, caring for and harvesting your food will also make you fitter and healthier. What’s more, growing your own fruit and vegetables gladdens the heart, and so you will be more relaxed and happy (which will improve your health). Whether you have a windowsill or an allotment we can help you Grow Your Own. Not only can we advise on what to grow, how to grow and when to grow it. We hope you found this Gardeners Guide useful.
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