Surely having a garden is one of the best things anyone can possess. A place of freedom, relaxation and exercise, outdoors and away from all the demands and expectations of the world around us and in which we live. You don’t have to look at the reams of research to recognise the good that spending time in your garden has on both the body and the mind.
And it is not just the act of gardening that is good for you, it also improves the produce you eat and the environment you live in.
The quantity and characteristics of the food the supermarkets demand are cultivated on a large scale on cleared land, often using synthetic fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides, and although these can help with the enormous yields that are needed by these giant businesses, they can impact the nutrition of the fruit and veg.Many of these chemicals can limit the range of nutrients that get to the plant, focusing on nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, often resulting in lower levels of some vitamins and minerals.
Working in your own garden means everything gets individual attention and care and you can choose what you give or don’t give to your plants, with many of us using organic fertilisers like compost and manure, which helps develop more nutrient dense plants with higher levels of vitamins and minerals – you can see and taste the difference, and just feel better knowing that there is no chemical residue on what you are putting in your body.
Working on a smaller scale is more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Not to mention the produce you put on your table being far cheaper.
Looking around at all the doom and gloom we see and hear about, it can sometimes feel that we are just small cogs in an uncontrollable machine, but when you garden, grow and eat your own food, you set yourself apart from that machine and contribute not only to your own health and wellbeing, but of all around you also, the planet and the people alike.
Keep it up!
Peter