Getting Started: Why Grow Organic Food?

Why Grow Organic Food??

There are as many reasons to garden as there are gardeners. With a little planning, a few seeds, tools and some fertilizer, anyone willing to put in the time and effort can grow a wide variety of delicious and nutritious vegetables.

Growing your own vegetables can cost significantly less than buying them (unless you pay yourself to work in the garden), and the food you grow may be more nutritious than equivalent produce purchased at grocery stores.

We live in an age in which food marketing is all about cholesterol, fiber, and this or that type of fat.

Gardening helps you turn away from this absurdity and return to the idea of eating whole, nutritious, delicious food, as opposed to whatever “nutrients” the latest scientists, marketers, and journalists have told us might be best (or worst) for our health.

Similarly, in an era in which many Americans are almost completely sedentary (or go to great lengths to “exercise”), gardening is a form of activity (strenuous or not-so-strenuous, as you choose) that has a useful end product and doesn’t require wearing lycra tights.

For those overwhelmed by the pace of modern life, gardening can provide a focused, mindful break from constant noise and rush.

For others, the feeling of stewardship of a piece of land, of soil and plants, is important.

For those with children, gardening can be an excellent way to introduce children to the natural world and to food production and preparation. Finally, many just plain find it enjoyable.