What are your reasons for growing your own food?

On @circleoflifeunlimited topic on "GMOs in organic foods?" she mentions that:

"We've known that growing our own food is important for many reasons..."

I only know ONE reason why I'm growing my own foods and that is that the current crop foods we find in our supermarkets are full of poisonous chemicals and void of minerals and nutrients.

Are there other important reasons I'm not aware of?

Please enlighten me.

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Comments

  • burekcrew86
    burekcrew86 Posts: 248 ✭✭✭

    I’ve started growing my own food because I’m working on developing a healthier lifestyle and I’m also canning. It gives me incredible satisfaction to go to my food storage pantry in the winter and see jars of food canned fresh from my garden. The little things bring joy!

  • Foodgardenguy
    Foodgardenguy Posts: 106 ✭✭✭

    @burekcrew86 Thank you for replying. I'm curious though. Would you still be doing this if all the foods in our supermarkets were grown without harmful chemicals and fertilizers?

  • gardneto76
    gardneto76 Posts: 528 ✭✭✭✭

    Most food in supermarkets are also grown for looks & some flavor. Many things are essentially nutritionally void. I am trying to grow more of my own foods to 1) avoid the pesticides but also 2) to have more nutritional & flavorful foods.

  • RogerDolbec
    RogerDolbec Posts: 3 ✭✭✭

    Trying to get quality fresh food that I can afford.

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Right @Foodgardenguy the awful reality is as you realized: the Western/drugged diet is where the "Former MINERALS & other essential Nutrients", were replaced with poisons, drugs, radiation, & other harmful man-made... methods. - Why?

    The intent is the INcreasing destruction of humanity by 95% of the global population. iow Possessed with evil goals those in "$-power-control" have been in the past 100 years in Secret-associations, iow (stealth-mode, or so they assumed). Such that about 9 billion people are considered 'useless eaters'. And the cancer-statistics are on their side. Those recruited as also 'Rebelling against God' want to leave barely 500 million alive, if that much. Why them? - Because that small % is needed to give those in $-power/control what they want, for now..

    So Why do we need to Grow our own Nourishment? --->to REgain the "Former MINERALS & other essential Nutrients" that GOD created all LIFE on earth with. Makes more Good sense, eh?

  • Foodgardenguy
    Foodgardenguy Posts: 106 ✭✭✭

    Thank you for all your comments.

    I see now that the underlying ROOT reason is pretty well the same, causing all the other "important reasons" we are growing our own foods.

    The ROOT Reason #1: Harmful chemicals and lack of minerals and nutrients in the soils of commercial farmland, caused by all those "poison-cides" and commercial fertilizers.

    This leads to the following important reasons:

    Important Reason #2: Vegetables having harmful chemicals in them and are low in nutrients and minerals (low nutrition).

    Important Reason #3: Low nutrient and mineral content together with "poisoncides" causes poor health.

    Important Reason #4: Low nutrient and mineral content together with "poisoncides" causes poor color and taste.

    Important Reason #5: This makes commercially grown food outrageously expensive (a rip off)

  • VickiP
    VickiP Posts: 586 ✭✭✭✭

    The main reason for me? It's fun! I just came in from sharing some left overs with the chickens. Our rooster Walter will come up and take the treat from my hand and share then with the hens, the dog is just sure she is missing out on something so she sicks her nose in the mix the chickens run the rooster struts and the whole thing is just funny. I take a walk and look over the garden fence and even though it is currently overgrown I spot beautiful noodle beans for supper, a little further down some purple basil and some thyme to season them...joy! I'm watching some wild plums that should ripen this week, every day I taste one just to check. I look forward to that little taste of distilled sunshine. So while I do appreciate all the practical reasons for growing your own food I am not sure I would do it if I didn't enjoy it so much.

  • Foodgardenguy
    Foodgardenguy Posts: 106 ✭✭✭

    @VickiP Bravo. It is good to do something because you have love and delight to do it, rather than out of fear (i.e. because of fear of ill health arising from harmful "poisoncides")

  • ArleneWoods
    ArleneWoods Posts: 13 ✭✭✭

    I agree - growing my own fruits and vegetables is relaxing and enjoyable.

    I, too, like to can and/or dry my harvest. Been doing it most of my life.

    It is such a great feeling in the middle of winter to pull a jar of my own preserved food off the shelf and know that it contains healthy food!

    And today one of my sunflowers bloomed! It was cloudy today and we had a thunderstorm this afternoon, but I was still able to enjoy my own little "sun"! Last year I planted over 300 "Mammoth" sunflowers. (The birds got most of the seeds.) This year I just have 5 "Skyscraper" ones. Was hoping they would get taller so I could enter one in the fair, but I'm just going to enjoy them. It's quite a change going from over an acre garden to a small lot at the edge of town!


  • ArleneWoods
    ArleneWoods Posts: 13 ✭✭✭

    Was trying to send a picture of my sunflowers to share with all of you.

    I guess I need to learn how to do that on this site!

  • Alison
    Alison Posts: 179 ✭✭✭

    Organic food is very expensive here so I began to plant my own fruit trees, keep chickens and kept going from there. I also enjoy gardening.

    I've also learnt a lot more about GMO's and other factors such as the benefits of glyconutrients that enter the fruit at the time of ripening; which obviously can't occur in even an organic product that is picked before ripe so it can travel for days to get to a wholesaler, to then get to a store and wait for someone to purchase it.

    Lastly, food security. Crops fail, jobs fail, life throws curveballs...and then seeing things like in Venezuela makes me certain I have made the right choice.

  • Karin
    Karin Posts: 272 ✭✭✭

    I garden because I like being outside, digging in the soil and seeing plants grow :) We have moved around a lot and the first thing that goes in is a new herb garden - herbs are so useful for adding flavour and health to meals. I also garden because nothing beats the flavour of homegrown, fresh-picked food that hasn't been sitting around in a cool store for months, plus if you don't have a lot of outside income, growing your own food means food security. And you know what goes into your soil, so you know what comes out :D Win/win all round

  • RICHARD
    RICHARD Posts: 22 ✭✭✭

    Nutrition, taste, purity, grounding, vitamin D, and fresh air. Those are the six reasons I have for growing my own vegetables. Nutrition degrades after harvest. The longer it takes to get from living plant to table, the less nutrition is available for the body. This is especially true of enzymes present in fresh vegetables and fruit. Nothing tastes quite so good to me as a tomato that I picked, rinsed in a bucket of water and ate while still in the garden. I would guess that only half of the cherry tomatoes, carrots, or kale that I grow make it to my kitchen. The absence of toxic chemicals in my homegrown open pollinated vegetables means that I get "pure" food, or natural if you prefer. While I'm usually not barefoot in the garden, I am frequently on my knees, with my hands in the soil, connection tot he earth. this connection helps to balance the electricity developed in my body. Even if it weren't correct, I still know from experience that I feel better after being in direct contact with living soil. Being in the sun while gardening ensures that my body converts sunlight into vitamin D. And of course, the plants produce oxygen while the sun is shining on them, so the air is fresher.

  • Foodgardenguy
    Foodgardenguy Posts: 106 ✭✭✭

    @ArleneWoods I was able to see your sunflowers. Thank you for sharing.

  • Foodgardenguy
    Foodgardenguy Posts: 106 ✭✭✭

    @Alison Ah, yes, for food security when outside supply runs out.

    @kmartin.mail Indeed, the point about losing flavor and nutrients from long storage is a good one.

    @RICHARD Thank you bringing to mind two reasons that I don't normally think about: grounding with the earth and fresher air during sunshine hours.

    All wonderful responses. Thank you so very much! I'm very grateful for finding this community!!

  • anita.toler73
    anita.toler73 Posts: 24 ✭✭✭

    I like growing my own food for the reasons you listed, but also because I eat a lot of vegetables and even going to the farmer's markets in the summer can be very expensive. I don't want to buy Kroger's 99 cent a pound green beans because of the GMO's and pesticides, but I also can't afford $4 at the farmer's market. I just bought a home this year and it was too late to plant anything, but next year I would like to plant green beans, tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers to start. Corn from the markets are fairy inexpensive, as are the beets. Great topic!

  • Foodgardenguy
    Foodgardenguy Posts: 106 ✭✭✭
    edited August 2019

    Thank you @anita.toler73 - Less expensive to grow your own.

    So just to summarize all the reasons for growing a food garden:

    Reason #1 (Root): Harmful chemicals and lack of minerals and nutrients in the soils of commercial farmland, caused by all those "poison-cides" and commercial fertilizers.

    Causing the following:

    Reason #2: Vegetables having harmful chemicals in them and are low in nutrients and minerals (low nutrition).

    Reason #3: Low nutrient and mineral content together with "poisoncides" causes poor health.

    Reason #4: Low nutrient and mineral content together with "poisoncides" causes poor color and taste.

    Reason #5: This makes commercially grown food outrageously expensive (a rip off)

    Other reasons:

    Reason #6: Growing your own food is recreational, fun and relaxing.

    Reason #7: Eating straight from the garden versus losing flavor, phyto-nutrients and enzymes from long storage.

    Reason #8: Growing your food outdoors exposes you to sunshine for vitamin D.

    Reason #9:  Touching the soil electrically and beneficially grounds the body.

    Reason #10: Being in the garden during the day exposes you to fresher air.

    Reason #11: Less expensive than buying at the local farmer's market


    I really did not expect so many important reasons to grow your own food garden. This has been educational. Thank you all again.

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Hi again @Foodgardenguy

    That " Reason #3: Low nutrient and mineral content together with "poisoncides" causes poor health. "

    Actually Absent "most Essential minerals (i can list them later", plus vitamins (A+B's+C+D+E+K), plus a healthy-mind, plus FUN-exercise starting with gardening, & sports): the Absence of these principal factors causes not just DIS-ease, it can cause outright premature death...

    A principal reason why @Marjory Wildcraft started TGN: she wants us all, yes each human to not just live... but this Abundantly...

  • Foodgardenguy
    Foodgardenguy Posts: 106 ✭✭✭

    Thanks @rainbow.

    I'm very happy to be part of this community.

  • dianne.misspooz
    dianne.misspooz Posts: 105 ✭✭✭

    I'm growing my own food and medicine because... you might want to sit down for this... it makes me feel like a mad scientist!

    That's right, I said it! haha

    There is just something about using your accumulated knowledge to add a little bit of this, some more of that to get an outcome that makes you and your family and friends healthier. I was always fascinated with characters in movies who knew which herb or food to help heal you. Now, I can be that character too in my own story.

    😁

    Miss Pooz

  • angelaclay509@gmail.com
    angelaclay509@gmail.com Posts: 49 ✭✭✭

    @Foodgardenguy enjoyed reading your reasons for growing food... some points I did not think of. Sharing is the best way to learn new things thank you.

  • anectarine1
    anectarine1 Posts: 27 ✭✭✭

    Those were some great reasons! I would add- I love teaching my kids where their food comes from. It has been amazing to show them the process from seed to vegetable. We all enjoy our food more seeing the hard work is paid off with delicious meals!

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    So true @nectarine. - We too homeschooled, er UNschooled...a life full of learning Adventures 🤩... from dawn to dusk: all the hands-on research in soil-health (incldg. the babes finding out what worms taste like, lol) Sprouting, Nutrition, Botany, Horticulture, Animal husbandry, Forest-exploration, (Plant-History+Geography), & truthfully the list it endless... - except I wanted to make sure kids learned as babes that helping our foods grow was not 'hard work', but rather many Fun activities, so even the idea of chores got turned into fun. - Well, until they started talking to worldly adults who did not have that blissful beginning... Have a nice week !

  • Foodgardenguy
    Foodgardenguy Posts: 106 ✭✭✭

    Just wonderful, Wonderful, WONDERFUL!

    @dianne.misspooz I definitely sat down.😀 for this.

    @anectarine1 and @rainbow What a GREAT reason that I totally forgot about. We also did the same thing when our children were younger.@rachelcostenbader It really brings back the memories. Thanks for bringing this to my mind again.

    Well I'll summarize again, this list just gets bigger and better! I'm rewording Reason's 2 and 3, because I like @rainbow 's way of saying it better.

    Reason #1 (Root): Harmful chemicals and lack of minerals and nutrients in the soils of commercial farmland, caused by all those "poison-cides" and commercial fertilizers.

    Causing the following:

    Reason #2: Vegetables having harmful chemicals in them and are low in nutrients and minerals (low nutrition).

    Reason #3: The absence of nutrients and mineral content together with "poisoncides" causes poor health.

    Reason #4: The absence of low nutrient and mineral content together with "poisoncides" causes poor color and taste.

    Reason #5: This makes commercially grown food outrageously expensive (a rip off)

    Other reasons:

    Reason #6: Growing your own food is recreational, fun and relaxing.

    Reason #7: Eating straight from the garden versus losing flavor, phyto-nutrients and enzymes from long storage.

    Reason #8: Growing your food outdoors exposes you to sunshine for vitamin D.

    Reason #9: Touching the soil electrically and beneficially grounds the body.

    Reason #10: Being in the garden during the day exposes you to fresher air.

    Reason #11: Less expensive than buying at the local farmer's market

    Reason #12: The joy of being a "mad scientist" gathering food and medicine from your own food garden to formulate a remedy.

    Reason #13: Teaching our precious children to appreciate their healthy foods that come about from healthy work in the garden.


    I must admit reason #13 really makes this community feel like family to me.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    I have one more that feeds off of (pun intended after I wrote this) #13.

    To pass on important skills and work ethic that would otherwise be lost. Building self worth, confidence & passing on learning about the reward of satisfaction of a job well done. Independence of one's self and an *ownership* of what one person or a group can accomplish if only they put effort in.

    If one is invested in something personally, it often won't be easily taken from them.

  • JodieDownUnder
    JodieDownUnder Posts: 1,483 admin

    I guess there are a few reason to grow your own. You know whats gone into it and tried to create the healthiest version of that plant. I get an enormous amount of satisfaction from feeding my household food that I have grown. I am proud to have a great healthy garden. I also get joy from sharing any abundance I have with family, friends and neighbours. Good for mind, body and soul. We eat seasonally but if there is any shortfall, I try and buy from farmers markets or the organic section from the supermarket. There is also the $ saving aspect.

  • Obiora E
    Obiora E Posts: 517 ✭✭✭✭

    Also growing your own food can aid in healing and is being used as therapy for those who have suffered emotional and physical abuses. It is often used on the properties of some prisons and jails, medical centers, and more. And for some people working in the garden has saved their lives.

  • sallyhoward
    sallyhoward Posts: 106 ✭✭✭

    grounding :)

  • Merin Porter
    Merin Porter Posts: 1,026 admin

    @anectarine1 , this is a big reason for us, as well. I grew up in the big city and I was an adult before I started really understanding where my food came from and what all was involved in that process. I wanted my children to understand all that at a younger age, and I think they've got it. I also really like the flavor of homegrown tomatoes, and really the only way I've been able to find that is by growing them myself. We do have an amazing farmer's market here, but it's once a week and my fresh-picked tomatoes are just better. :)

  • Karyn Pennington
    Karyn Pennington Posts: 71 ✭✭✭

    In addition to being a de-stresser, it's also great (well, maybe not great, but good) exercise with the bending and stretching and lifting and digging and turning compost, etc. I think I have as much fun making compost as I do gardening.

    And, it's a great way to learn about nature -- what bugs do what (essentially, they're all beneficial -- just determining beneficial for what), how to protect/house/feed our pollinators. I added a small area of the garden dedicated to butterflies (in addition to flowers out front) and I'm amazed at how much they love it. I almost feel they thank me for it every time I'm out.