Grober Green

Why do you go to the effort of preparing ground, sowing seeds, caring for the plants, protecting them from pests and diseases and harvesting and storing them when you can pop along to your local supermarket and buy fresh vegetables for not very much money? The stock responses are not usually very convincing – ‘well, I enjoy it’, I might mumble, or ‘it isn’t that much work’.

In truth there isn’t a single reason, but a whole combination of benefits and positives which make the thought of not growing fruit and vegetables difficult to contemplate.

Flavour – Have you ever tasted really fresh peas, popped into your mouth a matter of seconds after picking? It’s one of the greatest food pleasures, and one which no supermarket on earth can compete with. The sugar in peas starts to convert to starch the moment they are picked, explaining why they are so much sweeter straight from the plant. So, our first reason is that we can grow tastier vegetables than we can buy in the store.

Variety – Supermarkets naturally have to cater for the masses, and so stock the most popular and reliable varieties of fruit and vegetables. By growing your own veg you are freed from the mainstream and are able to select and grow varieties renowned for taste rather than uniformity. I can’t ever see my local Supermarket stocking the nobbly, low yield Pink Fir Apple potato, yet they have the most sublime flavour of any early spud I’ve ever experienced.

Money – Organic vegetables are more expensive to buy than those produced using herbicides and pesticides. You might save money by growing your own. If you factor in your time you are unlikely to do so, but your time is your own and your bank won’t mind if you fritter it away on growing food. If you have the space and motivation to grow in large quantities saving money is easier . Growing organically is certainly cheaper than growing with chemicals!

Provenance – A fancy word for knowing where it comes from and how it was produced. We know that the vegetables we grow are free from harmful chemicals, and that they haven’t exploited anyone’s labour in their production. You just can’t say that about most vegetables you buy in a supermarket. You may be able to wash away chemical residues from the outside of vegetables produced using today’s herbicides and pesticides, but you can’t do anything about the residues inside them.

Fun – It can be great fun to grow vegetables, especially if you’ve got someone to share it with. Kids will delight in the sprouting of growth from seeds, and the transformation from seedling to crop. And it can be educational too.

The Environment – Next time you’re browsing the shelves in the produce section of your local supermarket have a closer look at the origin labels. Chances are that some of the produce will be local, but it’s a certainty that most will have come from further afield. The key here is the concept of Food Miles – if your food is better travelled than you are, there is something wrong with the world. The supermarkets will tell you they are merely responding to consumer pressure and offering choice.

Exercise – Several studies have shown that gardening for one hour can burn upwards of 400 calories. Try that out at the gym! Gardening involves walking, stretching, lifting and bending. Gardening can build muscle as well as give a good cardio and aerobic workout.

Mental health - There is nothing more relaxing than a beautiful and bountiful garden. The activity of working the garden can be immensely calming while the splendor you have created can lift the spirit. A vegetable garden can also lend a more spiritual link to life itself. Not only are you participating in the miracle of growth and the changing of the seasons, you will also become intimately linked to the process of nurturing your own life.

Learn - The more you know, the more you want to know. While fun, gardening can also be quite challenging. Insects or diseases in your plants will drive you to find out how to keep your garden healthy. Research on wind and sun patterns, growing conditions, suitable plants and vegetables you’ve never even heard of will drive you to fill your head with new knowledge. Garden centers offer classes and seminars and Universities often offer advanced gardening or horticulture degrees.

Satisfaction – Growing your own vegetables can be tremendously satisfying. Every time you sit down to a meal that features something you’ve grown yourself, you will feel a sense of something approaching pride – you grew that carrot, you did.