If food is fuel, it’s time to take an honest look at what you’re putting in your body this year. Truthfully speaking, the best food comes straight from the Earth, not the deep fryer, the pizza place, or the Tim Hortons drive-through. Sure, it’s nice to splurge once in a while, but if you want sustainable, affordable, and healthy meal options, your best bet is to grow your own. It’s also delicious! Nothing beats a bite from your own private veggie garden, and we can prove it. Here’s why you need to start growing your own food this year:
Why You Need to Grow Your Own Food in Alberta
In our ever-evolving, fast-paced digital world, more and more people are seeing the value of getting back to basics and learning to grow their own food. Believe it or not, the lifestyle of cultivating homegrown crops in Alberta is even more attainable and satisfying than you may have thought. Here are ten reasons why you should grow your own food this year:
1. It Saves Money
Inflation is real—not just for food, but for everything! Are you really going to pay six bucks for a tiny bundle of mojito mint? Didn’t think so. Instead, it makes way more sense to buy an entire mint plant for the same price and keep the mint growing for months!
2. Fresh Produce Is the Healthiest
As soon as you pick a vegetable off the plant, its nutrient content slowly starts to decline. So, the quicker you eat it, the healthier it is, meaning the freshly-harvested food you grow at home will have way more vitamins and antioxidants than the stuff shipped across the ocean!
3. It’s Better for the Earth
Speaking of shipping crops across the world, it isn’t exactly great for the environment. Carbon emissions from cargo ships are a major contributor to global warming, so if you want to reduce your carbon footprint, grow your own food instead of choosing the store-bought stuff.
4. You’ll Know Exactly Where It Comes From
The other issue with crops coming from the opposite end of the world is that you never know exactly how it was cultivated. If you want to be sure your food is ethically sourced and free of nasty additives and chemical sprays, grow it yourself! You have complete control, so you can be sure there aren’t any mystery chemicals lingering on your food.
5. It’s Easy!
Seriously, it’s so easy to grow your own food. Just throw your starter plant in a big pot of fresh soil and put it in a sunny spot. Water it whenever the soil dries out, apply fertilizer regularly, and check for any pests or diseases. If an issue pops up, catch it early, and it won’t be an issue for much longer! Before you know it, your veggie crisper will be jam-packed with fresh food.
6. It Gets Kids Excited About Vegetables
Kids aren’t always excited about eating their greens. They are, however, totally captivated by science! Encourage them to join you in your food-growing journey, and your kids will celebrate their tiny victories with every new leaf, blossom, and fruit. Plus, eating a zucchini they’ve grown all by themselves is way more exciting than supermarket veggies any day of the week!
7. It’s Something You Can Pass Down
A fruit and veggie garden is something you can involve your entire family in, and they can grow for generations to come. Planting heirloom varieties is an especially great way to keep the tradition going by passing down varieties that have been handpicked for their superior quality and taste.
8. The Local Pollinators Will Be Pleased
Our birds, butterflies, and even hummingbirds rely on flowering plants to keep them fed. Many of their populations are sadly in decline, however, meaning it’s up to us to lend them a helping hand. Planting a diverse, colourful assortment of edible crops is a fantastic way to help support threatened pollinator populations in Alberta.
9. It Makes You More Self-Sufficient
You are a strong, independent gardener who doesn’t need a supermarket to survive. Supply chain shortages? Inflated prices? Absolute chaos and anarchy caused by sudden and uncontrollable world events? Doesn’t matter: you’ll have a steady supply of food ready to eat in your backyard, free for you to enjoy yourself or share with the neighbours!
10. Vegetable Gardens Are Beautiful!
Cucumber vines climbing a trellis, sunny golden zucchini blooms, colourful red grape tomatoes that dangle like ornaments—there are so many beautiful edible plants! Foodscaping is the art of incorporating edible plants into your landscape design, and a quick browse through social media will provide you with plenty of inspiration!
So, think you’re finally ready to grow your own food in the Edmonton area? Visit one of our Salisbury Greenhouse locations today, and we’ll get you hooked up with all the necessary supplies and advice to help you get started with confidence!
