Why Grow A Vegetable Garden

By Carol DiPirro • July 2nd, 2010 • 6832 Views

Long before ‘organic gardening’ was trendy, my grandparents had a great big vegetable garden in their back yard. Italian immigrants, they were religious in their daily tending, growing cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, eggplants, basil, watermelons, corn and rhubarb not only to feed their 10 children but to supplement their household budget.  I would love to help when their kitchen was changed into a factory full of jars, boiling pots on the stove, salt and vinegar as they canned tomatoes. I always knew that someday my own children would share in these traditions.

Fast forward several years, I find myself living in the home of my dreams with ample land for my first ‘serious’ garden.  You can find me daydreaming about the sun on my face and the soil in my hands all winter long, browsing seed books while charting my garden with paper and pencil. Living without a vegetable garden is simply not possible for me. Maybe it’s genetics but I take great pride in the fact that I can feed my family without a trip to the grocery store just as my grandparents did.

But why do it? Why grow a vegetable garden?

1. Taste

Ever taste a cherry tomato fresh from the vine? No? Steal your way into that crazy neighbors’ yard…you know the one with the straw hat and huge garden?!  I promise you will be hooked at first bite.

2. Safety 

We hear scary stories about pesticides, salmonella, preservatives, genetically modified foods and additives almost every day when you turn on the news. According to the EPA, we use over one billion tons of pesticides on our food crops every year. For me, this is one of the most compelling reasons to garden. I know that the food I am eating is safe…period.

3. Cost

A packet of seeds costs less than two dollars. Saving seeds costs nothing. Buying fruits and vegetables in the store, however, can be expensive. Every summer we grow more food than we can possibly eat for almost nothing. When you just can’t look at another zucchini, freeze the rest for winter.  One of my favorite snacks in mid January is a warm slice of zucchini bread. You’ll be surprised at how much you can grow for the cost of one seed packet – $1.59.

4. Health

Studies have shown that gardening for one hour can burn more than 400 calories. Gardening involves walking, stretching, lifting and bending. It can build muscle...

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Location:  New York, US

About Carol DiPirro: Carol has been passionate about cooking, nutrition and healthy eating since she was a child, baking her first eggless cake from scratch at 8 yrs old. Growing up in an Italian family, clean healthy...