{"id":12778,"date":"2023-11-20T16:00:41","date_gmt":"2023-11-20T21:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/?p=12778"},"modified":"2023-11-22T11:13:08","modified_gmt":"2023-11-22T16:13:08","slug":"the-benefits-of-growing-your-own-produce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/the-benefits-of-growing-your-own-produce\/","title":{"rendered":"The Benefits of Growing Your Own Produce"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by: Sahaer
\nEdited by: Jiya Mehta
\nDesigned by: Jiya Mehta
\nPublished by: Rayna Almas<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I<\/span>n this blog you\u2019ll learn the many benefits of growing your own produce (fruits and vegetables) at home and how that can be helpful in terms of finances, helping the environment and reducing your carbon footprint.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ll be starting off with the most beneficial point of growing your own food at home that can help you save money and spend less when buying groceries. In the beginning of the process when you start growing your own food you will have to make initial investments (just a few dollars on buying seeds for your favorite plants, fruits or vegetables and buying good soil). All you need to do is put in a little bit of hard work, and once your backyard or mini garden is established you just need to do watering and pulling weeds as time goes by and watching the process. The beautiful thing is that you can enjoy 20-30 tomatoes from 1 seed of a healthy growing plant. Imagine how much money you can save from buying tomatoes by growing your own.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n


\nGrowing your own produce in your home or backyard can help the environment and reduce your carbon footprint (total number of greenhouse gasses produced by our actions). By growing your own food you can increase green space, make room for more pollinators such as bees, butterflies, moths, etc and increase the amount of oxygen in your area. This will also reduce the amount of transportation and packaging processes it takes for produce to arrive at stores and markets in turn decreasing the amount of fossil fuel used which would reduce your carbon footprint. This will also decrease the amount of carbon dioxide and carbon gas released into the air.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Growing your own food reduces the use of pesticides and fertilizers. In the U.S the sales of pesticides is well over $15 billion and $19 billion for commercial food. The use of pesticides and fertilizers can damage plant roots, helpful bacteria and nutrients causing harm to pollinators, the air, plants and aquatic environments nearby. But when plants are grown naturally, the nutrients are distributed equally and naturally to the plants and they grow properly without use of chemicals. Not just that; food grown organically free from harsh ingredients and chemicals in your own garden or backyard tastes much more delicious than food that is bought from stores.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Growing your own food helps you connect with nature and learn about the growing cycle and you develop respect for the environment. It’s a great learning opportunity as you get to learn about the different plants, nutrients found in them, the way they grow, the plant’s life cycle and getting to interact with the nature and weather around your garden. It’s a great way since you have all the control over your garden; such as what types of ingredients you use to grow them and how much you want to grow. Gardening is a great way to learn something, enjoy in your free time as a hobby and have fun.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Here are some vegetables and fruits you can grow in the autumn season (for the month of October and November)\u00a0 in your home as it will be perfect weather with a lot of rain, cool air and warm soil in your yard with your garden beginning to put down new roots. With the cool atmosphere there will be less diseases and pests to worry about and you can grow some very yummy vegetables.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n