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Planting a vegetable garden is an annual tradition for our family. When I can’t grow a garden, I truly miss it. That may not make much sense; after all my Mom and Grandma shared extra produce with me for years, and I can go to a Farmer’s Market or grocery store if needed. I guess there’s just something special about getting my hands in the dirt, and going through the process of planting, growing, and harvesting for myself. Those special “somethings” are the benefits of planting your own vegetable garden, even if it’s nothing more than a few potted tomatoes and herbs on a patio or balcony.
There are so many benefits to growing a vegetable garden. Some, like fresh garden veggies, are tangible, but others are less obvious. The specific benefits you get from gardening may be slightly different for each person, but in my opinion, these are the top three reasons to consider growing vegetables.
Top 3 Benefits of Growing a Vegetable Garden
#1 – Grow High Quality Vegetables
Have you ever eaten a tomato straight from the vine? How about peas fresh from their pod? If you have, you know the fresh bursts of flavor just can’t be beaten! My kids absolutely love helping in the garden at picking times. As they work, they snack on peas, lettuce, tomatoes, and anything else that tastes good raw. Watching them get excited about vegetables and learn where food comes from makes gardening time well-spent. I just have to hope we harvest enough so some of the veggies make it to the house!
Vegetables grown in your garden don’t have far to travel. Produce grown elsewhere is often harvested before ripening so it comes through processing and shipping without being damaged. When you raise a garden, you get to pick the freshest food, fully ripe, and harvested at the peak of its flavor. The ripe, flavorful vegetables harvested from your garden taste amazing when fresh, but you can also preserve the extras for later use. There are many methods to preserve fresh vegetables and home-canned, frozen, and dried vegetables are a welcome addition to a pantry all year long. Using your homegrown vegetables to make these pantry staples gives you a high-quality product you can feel good about feeding your family.
By gardening, you also get to make the choices about how your food is grown. Do you prefer heritage or hybrid varieties? Commercial fertilizer and pest control, or organic options? Whatever you choose, the point is that YOU get to choose. And depending on your preferences, you may find yourself saving money while getting a better quality product.
#2 – Gardening Encourages Time Spent Outdoors
Spending time outdoors is a healthy! No matter the activity, getting outside into the fresh air and sunshine make a huge difference for both mental and physical health.
After a long winter, one of my favorite activities is turning up my garden beds for the new growing season. I love to soak up the sunshine and the smell of damp soil. Running a tiller, rake, and shovel is hard physical work, but my tired muscles give me a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. Seeing tangible progress from your work is an added bonus!
Planting a garden is a commitment to outdoor time all summer. Watering, weeding, and harvesting are all tasks that will require you to spend time in your garden. Sometimes “having a reason” gives us the push we need to get things done. Even if it’s just a few minutes in the evenings, caring for the garden will give you a reason to spend time outdoors and even get some exercise in the process.
#3 – Raising Vegetables Gives You A Sense of Accomplishment
Maybe it’s just me, but I feel such a sense of accomplishment when I cook and serve a meal made from vegetables I’ve grown, harvested, and prepared. The world we live in places a lot of value on things that are quick and convenient. While I wholeheartedly appreciate many modern conveniences, they also make me appreciate things that require more time.
Gardening is an exercise in patience. You start with seeds or seedlings then plant, water, weed, and care for them for weeks before they yield a harvest. Along the way, you wait for each milestone. You wait and watch for sprouts, then leaves, then blossoms, and finally fruit. The work and patience required to grow vegetables make the reward at the end that much more valuable. By the time they finally reach your table, you’ve invested a lot of time and care – leaving you with a well-earned sense of accomplishment. And as a bonus, you get to enjoy the tasty fruits (or veggies!) of your labor!
This list barely scratches the surface of the many benefits of raising a vegetable garden. I would imagine nearly every avid gardener will give you slightly different reasons for why they grow. For me though, the access to high-quality produce, a reason to spend extra time outdoors, and the sense of accomplishment raising food gives me are more than enough to continue our annual gardening tradition.
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