Having your own garden, even a small one, can be rewarding in numerous ways. It’s great to get outside and get your hands in the soil, working with green living things. And growing your own vegetables is a budget-friendly way to improve your family’s nutrition. But did you know that growing your own garden vegetables also gives you new opportunities for serving your community, especially those who are less advantaged? Here are some of the ways you and your home garden can enhance and improve your life and the lives of those around you.

A healthier choice for you and for your environment.

When you grow your own vegetables, this makes a difference for the health of your family and community. It also is beneficial to the environment.

Home-grown produce is fresher, can be picked ripe, and is usually more nutritious because of this, as well as far more delicious.
When you grow your produce naturally, this means that fewer potentially harmful chemicals get into your system and your immediate environment. You can enjoy your fruits and vegetables picked straight from the garden.
The more people eat local, the more this reduces carbon footprint, as there is less need for extensive transportation of fruit and vegetables across long distances. Reducing your carbon footprint has rarely been tastier!

A great opportunity to help others in your community.

If you end up growing more than you and your family need, there are a variety of ways you can share the bounty.

If you start your own plants for your garden and have more seedlings than space, find out whether any community garden or urban garden organizers could use them. Consider sharing your extra seeds, as well.
You can share your extra produce with families and individuals in your community who are unable to garden or can’t easily access or afford farmers’ markets. You could even start a free or discount farm stand.
You could also donate your extra fruits and vegetables to an area soup kitchen or food bank.

An educational project for the whole family.

Starting a garden is not only fun and healthy, but it also provides you with an amazing opportunity to learn more about science, your local environment, and even history and culture.

Topics like soil science and botany are a lot more exciting when you’re learning about them hands-on in the garden.
Growing different heirloom varieties from across the world is a great way to understand the different cultures that developed them and appreciate the foodways the seeds and produce traveled.

A few tips for your home garden success.

You don’t want to put in all that time and work and not have it pay off! So here are some basic guidelines for making your garden as productive and satisfying as possible.

Start with high-quality seeds from reputable producers, and make sure they are fresh, as older seeds have lower germination rates, or may even not germinate at all.
Get your soil tested and see what natural or organic fertilizers and amendments you may need to add.
Keep your garden safe from hungry animals or curious neighborhood kids by hiring a local fencing company to put up a safe and attractive fence around your garden.
To ensure your garden doesn’t encroach on your neighbors’ properties, you may want to hire a property surveyor.

Don’t be intimidated if you haven’t grown a garden before, or if you think you lack a green thumb. There are plenty of resources out there to help you prepare your garden well, choose the right varieties, and care for your plants as they grow. Once you get the hang of it you’ll discover all these benefits, and more, for yourself, your community, and the entire planet.

Virginia Cooper
Author: Virginia Cooper

Virginia Cooper is a retired community college instructor. She always encouraged her students to see the real-world value in their education, and now, she wants to spread that message as wide as possible. Her hope is that Learn a Living will be a go-to resource for adult learners embarking on starting, continuing, or finishing their education.

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