Four Huge Reasons You Should Start Growing Your Own Organic Food

Health

Undeniably, the primary reason we should be eating organic foods is to protect our health. Non-organically grown foods are farmed using vast numbers of chemical pesticides, many of which have been linked to the development of cancer. In fact, research carried out by the National Academy of Sciences estimated that pesticides could lead to the occurrence of an extra 4 million cases of cancer amongst Americans.

In addition, most foods found on the shelves of our supermarkets, both organic and otherwise, have been picked many weeks before they are eaten. By this time, the levels of nutrients in the foods have depleted considerably. As a result, growing your own food is by far the easiest way to ensure you and your family consume foods that are not only free from chemicals, but that are also rich in nutrients and the healthiest they can possibly be.

However, in order to guarantee a high concentration of nutrients in your crops, it is advisable to invest in some quality topsoil before you begin gardening. Topsoil refers to the uppermost layer of the earth’s soil and it is this that contains all the vitamins and minerals plants need to grow properly. If your gardens topsoil is of a substandard quality, the foods that grow from it will be smaller and somewhat deficient in nutrients.

Organic topsoil can however, be purchased from a number of retailers. Therefore, there is no need to be relying on your existing soil and crossing your fingers and toes that it will be sufficient.

Sustainability

Staying on the topic of topsoil, the fact is that our worlds topsoil is in danger. As a result of highly aggressive farming methods, the amount of our earth’s topsoil is decreasing rapidly. The eventual outcome of this will be a world food crisis.

The best way to sustain yourself and your family during a crisis is to be growing your own foods at home. Therefore you will not need to rely on minute rations, or whatever other solution our world’s governments may construct.

Cost

Food is expensive. That fact is undeniable. Therefore by growing food at home you can reduce your weekly shopping bill considerably. While the initial set-up cost can seem quite substantial, it won’t be long at all before you recoup these costs and start saving money.

This fact, combined with the knowledge that the food you will soon be eating is healthier and more nutritious than ever before, should be more than enough motivation to begin growing your own food.

Education

Too many kids today are growing up in a world where their idea of a good meal is a happy one. Yet these are habits for life; habits that lead to obesity and all the problems that come with it.

However, there isn’t really any better way to get your children eating fruits and vegetables than to get them involved in growing them. Not only will they be eating better but they will learn all about different foods and how they end up on our plates, subsequently setting them up with valuable knowledge and skills for life.

This post was written by James Harper on behalf of Boughton Loam and Turf Management. James writes on a number of issues including gardening, horticulture, green issues and sutainability.

Image Credit: Flickr.com/net_efekt