Growing Your Own Fruit And Veg

Dangers of pesticides and herbicides

There has been an increased awareness to the harmful effects of pollution to the Earth in recent years as global warming has gradually become a more serious concern to us all. Hand in hand with that came the increased research into the negative effects of pesticides on our crops and the food we eat. Evidence has been found to link pesticides to certain types of cancers and other serious health issues, especially in children who are in the growing stages of development and also in men.

Pesticides are also harmful to the environment and can pollute the water that some animals and other living organisms consume. Therefore, because of these many issues, there has been serious debate around why people don’t grow their own vegetables or make sure they are locally sourced!

Organic local produce

Buying food sold by local grocers and produced by local farms is encouraged as it reduces the risk of the food being exposed to the harmful substances which are used to preserve food being transported long distances.  It also means that the food has more nutrients as it is fresher and therefore better for your health, apart from that, the flavour is way more delicious and intense too!

For your local area, it is also beneficial to your local economy and better for the environment as generally local farmers use more sustainable environmental friendly farming methods. It is also a great way of reigniting the relationship between consumer and farmer, as nowadays that connection has been lost down the aisles in a maze of corporate supermarkets!

Grow your own food

To ensure complete knowledge of how your food has been grown or handled, there is no better way than doing it yourself. It is a great activity to get you outside in the fresh air and spend time nurturing something, it’s especially good for kids to get involved as the benefits have been found to be brilliant for their general attitudes.

There are also many sociable aspects to gardening, as there are gardening clubs and competitions which get people involved with that well known favourite – who can grow the biggest vegetable!

If you don’t have the luxury of having a garden to dig up and plant crops in, there are other alternatives such as to find an allotment nearby or invest in a greenhouse. Greenhouses are easy to maintain and are perfect for protecting your plants, especially for those stickier, harder to grow vegetables like tomatoes. Happy gardening!