A good video to watch to have some answers to the above question. It's a TED talk by Roger Doiron, the founding director of Kitchens Garden International. If the link to the video is not working, here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezuz_-eZTMI&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Here are some quick reasons:
1. It saves you, over time, lots of money. The saved money can be used to pay up mortgage quickly or take an early retirement.
2. It creates a sense of community and fosters friendship.
3. It helps the environment, reduces one's carbon foot-print, helps in recycling as many of the plastic containers, bags, shoes, sheets and other household items that were going to be thrown away in land-fills can be used in variety of ways in gardens.
4. It fosters health as gardening is a good exercise, and one get to eat fresh organic food picked right out of garden. An obesity epidemic is spreading across the world. As per the above video, an average American household spends only 31 minutes every day to cook food, eat and then wash away the dishes!! It is impossible to do all those in 31 minutes, and thus proves that the food are not cooked but brought store-made. Having an edible garden will force one to cook. Cooking is not only creative, but it also makes one move around (and thus have some exercise) and become healthy through eating healthy cooked home-made food. Thus, gardening and cooking also fosters strong family relation as more and more family members start participating.
The above picture is taken from the above-mentioned video. It shows the history of gastronomy
5. Hunger is on the rise and more than 900 million people are hungry in the world. If each of us start growing some of our food, then we will have much better appreciation for food. Food will not be wasted. Thus, all those extra food can go into feeding hungry people.
6. World food prices are rising. Ten years back we could buy so much food with $20 that it would have nourished us for at least two or three weeks. Nowadays,with $20 we can hardly buy much good food. The exotic foods like Jerusalem artichokes, globe artichokes, asparagus, winter and summer squashes, rutabagas, turnips, radishes and beet are not easily available and they are expensive. However, Jerusalem Artichokes, globe artichokes and asparagus are perennial and can be grown even in frigid snowy winters. Chives is another perennial. Leeks, onions and garlic are very easy to grow. Rutabagas, turnips, radishes, parsnips, carrots and beet can be grown throughout the year, even in snowy winters, under some fleece protection. So, again the solution to rising food cost is producing one's own food as much as possible.
7. 10 calories of fossil fuel energy is needed to produce only 1 calorie of food in any industrialized food system. Globally we have reached the peak oil production. So, how will we produce food when the oil sources are depleted? That depletion is happening at a much faster rate as the world population is increasing, our need on fossil fuel is increasing. At the same time, urban population is rising; more people are moving away from farming and rural communities and thus dependence on food produced using fossil fuel is rising. As per the video, the world needs to produce more food in the next 50 years than it has produced in the last 10,000 years combined.
There are many other reasons like sense of accomplishments or help in reducing depressions but the above are enough to start growing even a small patch of edible garden.
Here are some quick reasons:
1. It saves you, over time, lots of money. The saved money can be used to pay up mortgage quickly or take an early retirement.
2. It creates a sense of community and fosters friendship.
3. It helps the environment, reduces one's carbon foot-print, helps in recycling as many of the plastic containers, bags, shoes, sheets and other household items that were going to be thrown away in land-fills can be used in variety of ways in gardens.
4. It fosters health as gardening is a good exercise, and one get to eat fresh organic food picked right out of garden. An obesity epidemic is spreading across the world. As per the above video, an average American household spends only 31 minutes every day to cook food, eat and then wash away the dishes!! It is impossible to do all those in 31 minutes, and thus proves that the food are not cooked but brought store-made. Having an edible garden will force one to cook. Cooking is not only creative, but it also makes one move around (and thus have some exercise) and become healthy through eating healthy cooked home-made food. Thus, gardening and cooking also fosters strong family relation as more and more family members start participating.
The above picture is taken from the above-mentioned video. It shows the history of gastronomy
5. Hunger is on the rise and more than 900 million people are hungry in the world. If each of us start growing some of our food, then we will have much better appreciation for food. Food will not be wasted. Thus, all those extra food can go into feeding hungry people.
6. World food prices are rising. Ten years back we could buy so much food with $20 that it would have nourished us for at least two or three weeks. Nowadays,with $20 we can hardly buy much good food. The exotic foods like Jerusalem artichokes, globe artichokes, asparagus, winter and summer squashes, rutabagas, turnips, radishes and beet are not easily available and they are expensive. However, Jerusalem Artichokes, globe artichokes and asparagus are perennial and can be grown even in frigid snowy winters. Chives is another perennial. Leeks, onions and garlic are very easy to grow. Rutabagas, turnips, radishes, parsnips, carrots and beet can be grown throughout the year, even in snowy winters, under some fleece protection. So, again the solution to rising food cost is producing one's own food as much as possible.
7. 10 calories of fossil fuel energy is needed to produce only 1 calorie of food in any industrialized food system. Globally we have reached the peak oil production. So, how will we produce food when the oil sources are depleted? That depletion is happening at a much faster rate as the world population is increasing, our need on fossil fuel is increasing. At the same time, urban population is rising; more people are moving away from farming and rural communities and thus dependence on food produced using fossil fuel is rising. As per the video, the world needs to produce more food in the next 50 years than it has produced in the last 10,000 years combined.
There are many other reasons like sense of accomplishments or help in reducing depressions but the above are enough to start growing even a small patch of edible garden.
I only grow a few veggies but love eating what I grow. I also grow blackberries but I let the birds have them. This year I'm adding blueberries to my garden, as well. Most people I know can't be bothered to grow anything. It's really pathetic.
ReplyDeleteI'm adding your blog to my sidebar so more readers can find your wonderful posts. :o)
Awwwwwwwwwww...........thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu :-):-)...........
DeleteI am reminded of #6 every week when I go to the grocery store! I try very hard to grow vegetables, or buy from the local farmers market. I can in the summer, which feeds us through the winter. I do go to the grocery store to supplement, but I have noticed how very high things are getting. I'm almost afraid what the prices will be like at the farmer's market next year! Some of the problem is #7 - just too many people to feed, and so a lot of what is being offered is not of the highest quality for nutrients. It is incredible how our food has changed over the past 50 years, and I am afraid of how it will change in the next 50. People just need to be better informed, and I think then that many more would decide to grow their own vegetables
ReplyDeleteHolley, I completely agree with you. Life is becoming especially tough for younger people who are trying to establish in their jobs, have to pay mortgages and other loans and then have to spend huge amount of money for good food. Not only too many people but too much food is being wasted, and we are pumping too much money into the hands of corporates like Monsanto who are interested in making money and not producing good food.
DeleteI grow herbs and a few vegetables, mostly tomatoes and cucumber. My garden is mostly flowers. But I do love going to the farmers' market, which I would consider second best to home grown.
ReplyDeleteJason, I agree with - farmers market or those CSA - they need to be supported. People do not have grow everything; even, if they grow little herbs and spread the culture, even that will be great.
DeleteI have just a tiny garden, so the choice were either flowers or vegetables when I started, I ended up on flowers. But I have decided to buy some shelves this spring and have lots of window boxes where I will grow salads and radish. That's about all I can fit in and a good start as I eat that every day all year round.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we all need to be more considerate about what we eat and where it comes from. Here in London we are spoilt for choices as all the supermarkets are selling fresh fruit and vegetables from all over the world all year round. That's thanks to all the people travelling around on business and holidays by plane, the fruit and vegetables are being flown on the charter planes from all corners of the world every day.
Oh radishes are so easy to grow. Do you know you can even eat the greens of the radishes :). Beet will be another easy to grow vegetable which takes small space and can be grown like radishes. I will be waiting to see your pictures of those. Please post :). Not only London, but everywhere in the US or most rich nations, I guess. I thought those foods come by ships. They even come using planes? Wow.
DeleteKL this is wonderful...so many great reasons...I grow them so I can have organic veggies and fruits that are low in price and taste great...so fresh from the garden!!
ReplyDeleteHi Donna, thank you :-). Same with me also - I can fresh without paying from them. They are also fun to grow.
DeleteSince we went back. My husband and I are still unemployed with 3 small kids to raise. But my mother's small garden has been providing us lots of things to forage that we feel very lucky and not very concerned with our 'unemployed' status. As we have become fully gardeners ourselves trying our best growing our home-grown food without any worries of pesticides.
ReplyDelete