5 Reasons to Grow Your Own Food

by IOBIONICS

1 - Reconnect with Nature

Go back to where everything started and find a better appreciation for what is around you. Growing your own can help with a sense of pride in oneself as well as those around you. This is also a great way to teach the younger generation about sustainability and nutrition on a first hand basis. What better way to educate than to connect, grow and share something fresh.

2 - You are in Control

Do you know what pesticides or chemicals are in your food? According to EWG’s Dirty Dozen Strawberries can contain close to 40 different pesticides and the cucumber skin could contain close to 80. When you are planting, maintaining, and harvesting the food, you know exactly where it came from and what went into it. You can reduce the danger associated with food contamination like E.coli in Lettuce by ensuring no cross-contamination. This also helps achieve a healthier lifestyle by consciously consuming more fresh fruits and vegetables.

3 - Reduce your impact on the Environment

When you grow your own you’re contributing to the Environment in the best way possible. You reduce your carbon footprint, lower emissions, and reduce waste. All the food you purchase at a grocery store is transported, which relies heavily on fossil fuels, is packaged in plastic which ends up in landfills and is grown using most of the world's water which results in a lot of waste. The FAO reports that pollutants from agriculture are a serious threat to the world's water supply.

4 - Tastes Better

Guaranteed to be Fresh, you harvest when you want. Food tastes better when it is harvested after it is ripe on the plant. Vegetables that ripen in the garden have more nutrients than some store-bought vegetables that must be picked early.

Many of the varieties of fruits and vegetables sold in grocery stores are adapted for commercial farming. Through selecting and breeding specific traits, these strains are developed to produce more per plant, be ready for harvesting all at once, have a longer shelf life, be uniform size and shape, ship without bruising, and oftentimes finish ripening on trucks during shipping

5 - Save Money

Growing your own vegetables, fruits, herbs or medicinal plants saves you money, as you are no longer paying for everything associated with a grocery store. You simply pay for the product and nothing more. Reap multiple harvests off one purchase instead of consistently buying every time you want to consume. Store bought organic Kale cost around $5.00 CAD per bunch for one time use while a pack of seeds costs $4.00 CAD for continuous organic growing.

Growing your own Food has never been Easier

In today’s day and age growing your own now has a multitude of options to fit your exact needs and requirements. It is now not limited to solely growing in a garden outdoors. With the global landscape most individuals are moving towards cities where outdoor space is limited, this results in the need to grow indoors. Have no fear though, because growing indoors has gone on a metamorphic change with various options and has never been easier. You can purchase a Grow Tent kit that has everything included to create your indoor garden or go with a Smart Grow Box that does the work for you.