It is fun and easy to grow your own food. Most food we eat today is grown on huge farms that use industrial methods and a lot of fertilizer to maximize their crop. but the truth is that it doesn’t take much to be able to be self sustaining in regards to food. 500 square meters, 5000 square feet are enough to be able to produce enough food for an average family. That means that most homes would be able to grow all or most of the food they need in their garden.
If you live in a home with a a garden you are very lucky and would be able to grow some or all of the food you need yourself. There are numerous benefits to growing your own food. Some of the most important are.
- You save a lot of money
- You know that the food is healthy and free from pesticides.
- You get the sense of accomplishment that comes from knowing that you have grown what you eat.
- You can use to grown any vegetables you want and can choose to grow more healthy strains than those in the super market. You can also grow heirloom vegetables and other types that is hard to find. This gives you a lot bigger control over what you eat.
- You eliminate the pollution that comes from transporting the food from the farm, to the factory and on the store.
- You are already producing your own food if there is a disruption in the commercial food chain.
- You do not need to worry about market prices. You know what your food cost.
- You can sell or trade the surplus.
If you have large garden you can grow more food than you need to give away to the needy or to sell cheaply to your neighbors.
A downside of using a large part of your garden to grow vegetables is that you lose a lot of your lawn. This might sound like a blessing to you. Less grass to cut. Your children might not feel the same way as they lose an area to play on. You should always consider this before you turn your lawn in to a vegetable garden. If you want to avoid cutting the grass you can always buy a cheap robotic lawn mower such as a robomow (Robomow.com) or a Husquarna ( billigrobotgräsklippare.se ).
If you do not have a garden
Your options are more limited if you do not own a house with a garden. You can however still grow your own food. you are just not going to be able to be self sustaining. You can still grow a part of the food you need yourself. This is true even if you live in an apartment.
Please note that is possible to be self sufficient by growing your own food even if you live in apartment. It does however require a lot of dedication as well as artificial lighting and aquaponics. It is nothing i recommend and you might get evicted if the landlord discover what you are doing. This is due to the high risk of water damage.
A better option if you live in an apartment is to grow a small amount of all the food you need. Personally i recommend that you focus your growing efforts on herbs and spices.
A lot of herbs and spices are very suitable for growing on the window sill because they are small fast growing species. Most herbs are species are best used fresh and by growing your own you will give your food a divine flavor that you can not get by using dried store bought spices. You can grow all the species you need in your windows.
If you have a balcony you can choose to grow vegetables such as tomatoes and paprika in the summer.