Is Growing Your Own Vegetables Worth the Effort?

You have been thinking of growing your own vegetables for years but you keep pushing it back, is it cost-effective? Will I have the time to do it? Is it actually worth the trouble? Vegetables can be ridiculously expensive to buy, and we never really know if we are actually eating healthy fresh veggies. Here are our tips to finally help you make your mind up.

Environmental benefits

If you care about the planet, you should definitely think of doing some gardening. Firstly, you won’t have to use weed killers or pesticides which will reduce the risk of polluting your body, the environment and wildlife. You would also avoid using carrier bags and packaging that we unfortunately tend to get a lot in the shops… You won’t have to use your car to go and buy a pack of courgettes, you can just go to your garden and pick your fresh beautiful vegetables directly from your back yard.

A new passion

For a lot of people, gardening is much more than just feeding themselves and their family. Gardening is a passion that grows on you, no pun intended, you slowly start reading more and more about it and encouraging your family to join in. It’s a great way to bond with your kids and teach them that vegetables don’t grow on supermarket shelves. You also end up learning about new methods of gardening and you slowly become a pro.

And money-wise?

Growing your own vegetables can certainly be cost effective. For a reasonable price, you can start growing vegetables in pots from seeds, for less than £5 you can most definitely start growing and feeding your family with fresh tomatoes for example.

Is it difficult though?

Potatoes, beans, courgettes and cucumbers are easy to grow, all you need is a bit of organisation and some tools, you can even find dwarf varieties if you are short on space. If you are really committed to this new project, allotments are ideal. Firstly, you’ll get to spend time with people sharing the same passion and you may even swap tips. Secondly, you now have a dedicated space for your vegetable garden where you can test what works for you without “destroying” your garden at home. Keep in mind that if you are serious about running an allotment, you need to apply through your local authority and may be put on a waiting list.

Growing your own vegetables is a great way to lean about nature and its resources but will also save you money. Convinced yet?