What motivates you to grow your own?

[Marie]

What is it exactly that stops you just buying all your fruit and veg from a supermarket or store, or even a farmer's market?

And even after things have gone wrong, what makes you pick up your gloves and trowel once more to try again?

For me, it has to be the taste. Some tend to grow the more expensive fruits and vegetables, meaning they're saving their pennies because seed packets are cheaper than fully grown veg.

But to me, I have to know where my food came from, and what was put into it, chemical-wise etc.. The only way for me to do this is to grow my own. But simply the taste of shop-bought produce will never match that of your own, and for that reason, I believe I'll be continuing to harvest both fruit and veg from my garden for a long time yet, for as long as I am able to, anyway!

What is it that does it for you?

 

[dconklin]

For me it was a challenge and a hobby in the beginning. I also do not like to buy as much of my produce from the supermarket (I worry about the pesticides and such.) I can walk to a farmer's market and there are a lot around here being NJ is known as the Garden State So many veggies or fruit that I don't grow can be easily purchased locally here.

I love the taste of my own grown veggies and it is a lot of fun for me too. Yes I save money, but I love challenges too!

 

[claudine]

What you grew on your own, tastes like victory . For example, I like all possible kinds of tomatoes, I'm a real tomato addict, but the ones from my own garden are the most delicious.
Also, I truly enjoy spending time in my garden.

 

[zigs]

Good question

You're right, it does seem a lot of effort sometimes compared to picking up some veg from the supermarket but you've got the satisfaction of growing it yourself, you know whats gone into it, whats not been sprayed on it.

Also you're talking about food "feet" rather than food miles.

There is the good feeling when you sit down to a meal that's totally grown/caught/foraged by yourself.

If we all had a veg plot then it would take so much of the strain off world resources. I can't believe that America, a country that is Trillions of dollars in debt, won't let folk grow veg on their own front gardens. That is verging on criminal mismanagement of an entire country.

 

[Marie]

There is the good feeling when you sit down to a meal that's totally grown/caught/foraged by yourself.

If we all had a veg plot then it would take so much of the strain off world resources. I can't believe that America, a country that is Trillions of dollars in debt, won't let folk grow veg on their own front gardens. That is verging on criminal mismanagement of an entire country.

I love sitting down to a meal that's full of veggies harvested only minutes or hours before.. Doesn't come much fresher than that. Who needs unnatural preservatives to keep things fresher for longer when everything you need's on your doorstep, and you can have it as fresh as you like..

I know; I don't see how the US can even justify a law like that.. I didn't even know about it until I started watching John Kohler from California on Youtube (growingyourgreens) and how he's fought to be allowed to grow his own food in his front garden.. It's unbelievable.. If it's your garden, you should be allowed to do what you want with it. It's not harming anyone else, so where's the problem?!

 

[ChanellG]

Well, first there is the gratification that comes from growing your own. Then there is the taste of something fresh "off the vine." The stuff from the supermarket that sits around and travels so much it needs a passport just doesn't compare to something picked and eaten the same day. Last, there's the convenience of stepping outside for something instead of having to leave home to get it.

 

[blueeyes]

I just love being able to step out onto my balcony and picking some fresh tomatoes, onions and herbs. Hopefully my peppers will do well and I can add them to my fresh pickings. Its a bit hard for me because I am limited in space. When I had my own backyard garden, I grew just about everything you could think of. I had my own salad just outside my back door.

I find a lot of the vegetables in the stores sit for way too long and lose both their freshness and taste.

I think the main reason is the satisfaction I get, knowing I did it on my own under circumstances that are far from easy.

 

[headfullofbees]

I love eating cabbage, cut so recently that it doesn't know it's not still growing.
I love tomatoes that are full of flavour, soft but firm, not like bland waterchestnuts. (although I do like waterchestnuts)
I love digging new potatoes and being able to rub off the skin with just the roughness of my fingerprint.
A punnetful of raspberries at breakfast, and another at tea.
The sweetness of home-grown peas; just not possible from the supermarket.
Runner (pole) beans picked just prior to maturity, full of flavour, yet tender, and not a hint of stringiness.
Onions, hot with the added sulphur, rather than just grown for size.
Frozen blackcurrant yogurt.
Home-made, home-grown rhubarb & ginger jam.
All this and much, much more, and as already stated, without tons of pesticide, herbicide or other chemicals used in their production.

 

[ColdHands]

I am cheap. Why should I buy when I can grow it at a fraction of the cost. And once I did start to grow I started noticing the difference. The taste was better, they were bigger, and I knew that I was not putting hormones or chemicals in them.

I also attribute my better health to home-growing some of my veg. I am also spending more time outdoors, which is giving me a new appreciation for nature. There is something triumphant in watching potato peels yield a whole patch of potatoes. I know that I will never go back.

 

[RomanAnthonysMama]

I started growing my own vegetables when I was diagnosed with food allergy to a certain preservative (Citric Acid) that is in a lot of foods. I figure if I started growing my own, as opposed to buying them frozen or pre-packaged, then I would save myself a lot of time and trouble from fishing through the ingredient lists on boxes and wondering how the vegetables were grown and if I would have a reaction to them. Plus, when your own blood, sweat, and tears go into growing something so beautiful, the taste just grows ten-fold!

 

[ChanellG]

I started growing my own vegetables when I was diagnosed with food allergy to a certain preservative (Citric Acid) that is in a lot of foods... Plus, when your own blood, sweat, and tears go into growing something so beautiful, the taste just grows ten-fold!

That's a good reason. I don't think I have ever heard of anyone being allergic to citric acid. Does this mean you can't eat fruits like oranges and lemons? There's certainly a lot of sweat involved and some garden problems can make you feel like crying if you lose all your hard work to pests or disease.

 

[headfullofbees]

Plus, when your own blood, sweat, and tears go into growing something so beautiful, the taste just grows ten-fold!

I tend to find hen's blood is better

 

[H_Bachman]

I only have a container garden on my balcony. It's not impossible to get a decent crop from a container garden, but you can't grow the same volume as you could if you had a 20' by 20' garden in your backyard, you just can't. So having my garden doesn't take a measurable chunk out of my produce budget. For me, it's more about the journey than the destination. I like the experience of growing something and the satisfaction of eating it.

One practical reason I grow some things is that it means I can always have a fresh supply of it in small amounts. For example, growing green onions means I always have green onions on hand. I've been self-sufficient when it comes to green onions for months now. This also applies to lettuce. Far too often, I've bought a whole head of leaf lettuce because I wanted some on tacos or sandwiches and the rest has gone bad before I got a chance to make a massive salad or two out of it. When I have a pot growing lettuce, I can harvest three leaves at a time for my tacos and then the rest stays fresh until I need it.

 

[Shellyann36]

When I was growing up my Mama and my Aunt had huge gardens together. All of the produce they gleaned from the garden that was not eaten fresh was canned or frozen for the families for the rest of the year. It was a necessity back then because money was short. I remember toddling around in those gardens making mudpies and it is truly one of my best memories. As I got older I started gardening to save costs as well. It is also very therapeutic.

 

[JennyRose]

I love tomatoes and I grow my own just because of convenience. The thought of going to your backyard to pick what you need for dinner is just too juicey. And yes, it is very therapeutic as well. =)