Why Garden?

3 Reasons to Start a Garden

With the growing production of GMO (genetically modified organism) foods, the depletion of our soils, and the rising cost of groceries, more and more people are looking to grow their own food. After all, not having to go to the store every week sounds like heaven to me. There are a myriad of reasons to start your own garden and maybe you have even considered beginning to growing your own food, even if it is just a container in your window sill, but you just haven’t taken that leap. Well, here are my top three reasons for taking the plunge (in no particular order).

1. Save money— It seems like each time I go to the store, I’m spending more money on the same foods that I purchase. The cost of all consumer goods will likely continue to climb. Gardening, even on the small scale, can help offset this cost. And who doesn’t like to save some dough?
According to Bruce Butterfield, research director for the National Gardening Association, a well-maintained garden can produce a half pound of fresh vegetables for every square foot of garden space. At average market prices, that means a garden returns about $1 per square foot.[1]
2. Know where your food comes from—Now, more than ever, we have become a culture disconnected from our food sources. There was a time that ingredients to our favorite meals was acquired locally and almost everyone had a garden in their back yard. Today, it’s a different story. We have come to believe that scientist in a lab can make better food than our Creator. We have come to trust that food manufactures have our health as their top priority. Don’t believe me? Take a look at what you put into your cart next time you are at the store. Read the label of your favorite breakfast cereal or that bag of chips your holding. I have worked with children who are surprised to find that scrambled eggs came from chickens and that the hamburger they ate comes from a cow.

“How we eat determines, to a considerable extent, how the world is used,” says Wendell Berry, farmer and author. Do you know if your food is safe? Do you know how your food has been manufactured and processed? Do you know how that steer, chicken, or hog was treated before it was butchered? Cheaper prices and more food availability come a cost. Do you understand what those costs are?

Our connection with food affects how we respond to it, and extends far beyond the act of eating. We rush through the drive thru or order a pizza, all the while mindlessly consuming the food just to fill our bellies; never thinking twice about how this food will affect our body, mind, and spirit.  According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, “One in four Americans eats some type of fast food on a daily basis, and nearly half of the money Americans spend on food is spent on fast-food meals. More than one-third of school-aged children and adolescents eat fast food on a daily basis.”[3] This loss of mindful connection has contributed to an epidemic of obesity and disease.
3. Eat more nutritious food—We are a society riddled with disease. The average American eats highly processed and chemical-laden foods that have a serious effect their health. Using 2014 data, the US Centers for Disease Control[2] and Prevention (CDC) showed that more than 29 million Americans were diagnosed with full-blown type 2 diabetes, a statistic researchers predicted in 2001 wouldn’t be reached until 2050. That’s just one disease!

Conventional farming methods have lead to a decrease in soil nutrition.  Thus, even the healthy fruits and vegetables we eat are are of lower nutritional quality than even thirty years ago.  “A landmark study on the topic by Donald Davis and his team of researchers from the University of Texas (UT) at Austin’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry was published in December 2004 in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. They studied U.S. Department of Agriculture nutritional data from both 1950 and 1999 for 43 different vegetables and fruits, finding ‘reliable declines’ in the amount of protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin (vitamin B2) and vitamin C over the past half century. Davis and his colleagues chalk up this declining nutritional content to the preponderance of agricultural practices designed to improve traits (size, growth rate, pest resistance) other than nutrition. [5]”  The key is healthy soil.  If you grow your own food, you can be sure to nourish the soil you use.

Plus, pesticides and herbicides used to grow  foods are contributing to a decline in nutrition and an increase in chronic disease. “In 2012, research showed that GM crops have led to a 404-million pound increase in overall pesticide use from the time they were introduced in 1996 through 2011. This equates to an increase of about 7 percent per year[4].”

The answer is to get back to real foods. Fresh fruits and vegetables straight from your garden offer more nutrients than what is found in the store (travel time depletes nutrients). When you have your own garden, you can ensure that your family gets fresh, chemical-free food. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy or a huge production. The important thing is to start to rebuild you and your family’s connection to the environment and gain an understanding about the food you eat.

Sources:
1. http://www.houselogic.com/home-advice/plants-trees/save-money-your-edible-garden/
2. http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/statsreport14/prediabetes-infographic.pdf
3. https://www.lewrockwell.com/2015/10/joseph-mercola/the-high-cost-of-cheap-unhealthy-food/

4. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/08/19/gm-crops-pesticides-herbicides.aspx

5. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/soil-depletion-and-nutrition-loss/