Plant your own vegetable garden

There's got to be a lot of good reasons to plant your own vegetable garden, but as we were weeding and digging and playing in the dirt (Ella the 1 1/2 year old did most of the latter) here are a few I thought of. 

1. The sense of accomplishment. And that's just from clearing the space and burying a few seeds in rows. Imagine how it will feel if those seeds actually produce something!

2. Getting up close and personal with your produce. Learning about where food comes from is not just a good thing for kids to see, but for all of us. We can be so detached from the things we just buy in a shop. The closer you get to the origin of things, the more you appreciate their presence in your life. 

Ella certainly got up close and personal with some dirt. I'm sure she appreciates its presence in her life. 

3. Seasonal eating. If you grow it yourself you are forced to eat it in season, because that's when it grows. And if you're like me, seasonal eating can seem like a riddle wrapped in an enigma, since everything is available all the time it seems in supermarkets. You lose touch with the natural order of things. When you get used to when things actually grow in your own garden, it becomes much easier. 

Now that's all supposing these rows of dirt turn into edible things in the next 8-12 weeks... I'm no green thumb so we'll see what happens! But that leads to the last point. 

4. Slow food. Growing your own food is not a quick process. The earliest we will see any fruits of our labour, so to speak, and be able to harvest something and eat it, is mid September. The rest, not until October. That's not fast food. And I'm ashamed to say I was actually quite shocked that it took that long! Shows how out of touch I am. You do resow regularly, however, so once it's established you'll get an ongoing, rolling harvest. But that initial patience and ongoing labour can only be a good thing in a world of plastic packets and 2 minute noodles. 

Grow little spring onions, grow. We'll be making summer salads out of you, yet. 

There are many other benefits too, like cost, family 'togetherness', healthy eating - they all add a richness to life, a connectedness. 

And that's the bottom line - doing things that create a purposeful, ethical and just way of living that brings a bit of balance and peace to our crazy world. 

If you don't have space in your own garden to plant veges, you could start by simply growing some herbs or tomatoes in a pot. Or find out if there's a community garden nearby you can be involved. 

Do you grow your own veges? (Any tips for me?!) And what other benefits do you see?