8 benefits of growing your own vegetables

1. You save money

If I took note of the amount of vegetables we have thrown out, I'm sure it's already worth thousands.
Nobody wants to go back and forth the supermarket, so you have to purchase everything you need for the week or two, the vegetables sit on your shelves or the fridge and they go bad pretty quickly (That happens to us all the time!), especially when you live in a warm and humid country like the Philippines.
Vegetables usually end up in trash which is equivalent to throwing away money.
If you grow your own vegetables, it's available for picking just when you need them, you minimize the waste and save your hard earned money.

2. You eat fresh 

Since you're harvesting vegetables from your garden just when you need them, you are guaranteed freshness.
Fresh ingredients always taste best, obviously.

3. You eat healthy

It's so easy to eat junk when chips are just there in the pantry.
Same goes with eating healthy, it will be irresistible to pick and eat those vegetables when they're growing in your garden!
Many vegetables like peppers and tomatoes double in their vitamin content when they get to ripen on the plant, store bought ones are usually harvested prematurely to be processed and transported, and fully ripe ones sell at a higher price because it took more time before they were able to be harvested.

4. Food safety and less contaminants

You may be concerned that your backyard or balcony is not the most sanitized place to grow vegetables, but the good news is that you can do something about it.  You can clean the space to make it ideal for planting.
The thing with buying products off the shelves is that we totally have no clue as to where and what conditions it was grown in, even the process of handling and transport poses potential risks of contamination.
When you grow your own vegetables, you know what you're feeding your plant, you have control over it's growing conditions, you personally plant and harvest them giving you the peace of mind that what you are feeding your family is clean, free of pesticides and nutritious.

5. It's very rewarding

If you've tried growing anything from seed to a full grown, fruit bearing plant then you know what I mean.  Gardening for beginners is a hit or miss, there will be instances where seeds just won't germinate and it gets frustrating, and when they do, it's still survival of the fittest as not all will make it to a full grown plant, you will lose some plantlings along the way due to many different reasons (root rot, fungus,etc.) But when you are able to care and nurture them to a point where they are sturdy and healthy plants, it gives you a sense of pride and accomplishment.
It's also a great way to teach children the value of working for food, it will give them a better perspective as to the hard work it entails, and understand better why food shouldn't be wasted.

6. It's a lucrative hobby

If you have the space to grow plenty of vegetables, more than you need to feed your family, then you can sell the excess produce to your friends.  If it's still too much then you can sell them on weekend markets too!
You're pretty much making money out of a hobby.
Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life, right?

7. It's good for your health and well-being

Gardening is good for your physical and psychological health.  It encourages you to get out of the house, get some sunlight, fresh air, and a light exercise--aids in fighting depression.
Tending to the plants also relaxes the mind, plants are amazing and interesting, it's a lot of fun watching them grow.
It also gives you a sense of responsibility and importance knowing that a living thing is dependent on your care to survive--just like that of having pets.

8. It's eco-friendly

By growing our share of produce, we are minimizing the bad effects of pollution caused by processing plants and factories.
In this little way, we are contributing to the efforts of saving mother Earth.  It may not cause a drastic change, but it starts from one home at a time.

Still hesitant to grow your own vegetables?
Given all these benefits, what else is stopping you?