Growing Your Own Food - Self Sufficiency

[The Concept]

There is something to be said for growing your own vegetable gardens and I know flower gardens are beautiful and smell nice and so on, but you can't eat much from them.  The practicality of having your vegetable garden grows everyday as of lately. Less and less foods in grocery stores are grown nationally and more and more foods are GMO-based or frozen by the time you get to set eyes on them.

Not too long ago I spoke with someone who was originally from Columbia who moved to the US a couple years ago. It wasn't until she moved she found that she was getting sick more than she ever had and then before she knew it she developed food allergies. So much for the standards of the FDA, huh? Coming from a country and living years eating foods that don't have preservatives, chemicals, etc. and then being thrust into something most of us have been used to our entire lives doesn't mix well...  She is now lactose intolerant and has a sensitivity to gluten and she'll never get back to the healthiness she used to enjoy back in her home country. Granted now she eats very carefully and well, but she was forced down that road because of our generally unhealthy food choices in the United States.

Health concerns aren't the only reason to grow your own vegetable garden though. A good-sized and successful vegetable garden saves you money too. With endless bills, gas prices rising everyday it's nice to know you're saving money somewhere. The ability to grow your own salad is certainly a benefit, but if you or someone close to you has decent cooking skills your choices for meal choices multiply exponentially.

Seedlings sprouting in our kitchen

I find that there's also a level of self-satisfaction directly linked to a successful vegetable garden as well. One things for sure though - patience is required. As with all kinds of gardening you must be a master of patience and attention to habitual routine. As my vegetable and herb seedlings are all finally beginning to sprout I continue my regiment of making sure they have enough sunlight and watering them daily.

Soon as they're transplanted into a raised garden outside I'll have to put up a chicken fence to keep some critters out as well as our curious dog Fiona.  The regimented process continues outdoors of course, except for the sunlight obviously. Going forward I can't see any better way to get fresh veggies than to grow your own. It's a subject that's been beaten to death, I know, but it's all the more reason to jump on this healthy band wagon. Jump on, why don't you? 

Current vegetables growing:
Tomatoes
Greenbeans
Squash
Red Pepper
Lettuce

Current herbs growing:
Dill
Parsley
Basil