Editor's Note: The article first appeared on YoungWife'sGuide.com.
For many, planting a garden can seem like such a waste of time. I know among my busy days filled with being a wife, homemaker, mom, blogger, and web designer I don’t really need another thing to add. So why am I taking valuable hours of my summer to be out in the hot sun pulling weeds?
My journey to gardening all started a few years ago when I discovered that I could grow a whole vegetable garden on my second story apartment patio! I have never looked back. Here are a few reasons why I decided to start my own garden.
1) It Saves Money
This is my #1 reason for doing our own garden. Good quality produce cost is on the rise. It’s very important to me to feed my family a whole foods nutrient packed diet, and that means lots and lots of veggies!
You can start a garden for just a few dollars if you are starting from seeds. For not much more, you can start with young plants and get a jump start on your garden.
photo credit: LollyKnit via photopin cc
2) Growing Organic Produce
Since I have discovered the benefits of eating organic produce, especially after reading about the dirty dozen, I have tried to make buying organic produce a priority. However, organic produce is not always easy to get when you have to drive to special store to get it (this is hard with two infant babies) and is usually more expensive!
So another big part of growing our own garden is being able to grow our own organic produce that is free of chemicals, pesticides and other junk!
3) Food All Year
When we started planning our garden, I began dreaming about what I can do with the garden. While I’m excited for the fresh produce all summer long, I am also excited for the possibility of being able to stretch my garden to use all year long.
I plan on making homemade jams and tomato sauces and canning them to have all year. I also hope to have enough berries left over to be able to freeze and enjoy throughout the year. Homemade spaghetti sauce made from fresh tomatoes sounds wonderful in December. This book has been my guide for all things preserving!
photo credit: Chiot’s Run via photopin cc
4) Be Able to Bless Others
We are doing a big garden this year at my in-laws house. We hope to plant enough tomatoes to be able to can enough for my family and their whole family (they have 6 kids still at home). We plan on doing a big garden this year and hope to be able to bless others with it!
Depending on what produce we end up with a lot of, I hope to make berry pies, homemade jams, spaghetti sauces, and more and share them with our community and those at church who could use a little serving. I also plan on blessing those who come to our house through hospitality and yummy homemade food!
5) Brings the Family Together
While gardening doesn’t necessarily bring my husband and I together more (he hates gardening but sure does love my home cooking!), it does bring some couples together. For some, it can be a fun project to work on together.
For me, it allows me to bond with my father-in-law—who is just as much into the garden and learning to live naturally as I am! And it allows me to bond with my sister-in-laws! There is nothing like spending a few days in the kitchen making homemade jam that brings sisters together :)
Starting a garden is not for everyone, but for us it’s a necessity! I don’t love gardening but I sure do love the outcome of it. I need to stretch our grocery budget as much as possible right now and growing our own garden allows me to have fresh, organic produce in abundance and some left over for the rest of the year!
What are you planting this year?
