7 Reasons to Grow Your Own Organic Garden

Spring is nearly here in the Northeast and soon we'll see budding signs of life everywhere. What a welcome thought when we've all been cooped up indoors! Time to start planning outdoor activities ... one of my favorites is planting or potting flowers to introduce vibrant color and texture to outdoor spaces and planting a produce garden to reap the benefits all the way through to the next frost.

One of the biggest advantages - besides soaking up some much-needed vitamin D - is the ability to control what ends up going into your body. The World Health Organization produces reports showing how the use of chemicals and automated manufacturing on produce is affecting our overall health and it's downright scary.

As if that's not enough of a reason on its own, here are just a few more benefits to get growing if you have a small space of land available or even a few pots and containers:

1. You will have no additives in your produce. Research by organic food associations has shown that additives in our food can cause heart diseases, osteoporosis, migraines, hyperactivity, and more.

2. You can choose not to use pesticides or synthetic fertilizers, or use natural pest deterrents and organic fertilizers. Harmful chemical products are applied routinely in agricultural settings to maintain crops regardless of plagues or growing conditions.

3. You can select non genetically modified seeds and / or seedlings (GM). Additionally, antibiotics, drugs and hormones are used on produce to yield larger, more plentiful, and more disease-resistant crops. GM involves inserting DNA into the genome of an organism. To create a GM plant, new DNA is injected into plant cells. Usually, the cells are then grown in tissue cultures where they develop into plants. The seeds produced by these plants will inherit the new DNA. Yikes! I don't know about you, but I'd rather eat a fruit or veggie that was grown in my garden than one grown in a laboratory! My favorite organic, non-GMO seed supplier is Peaceful Valley Farms

4. It can be either a therapeutic stress-relieving activity to do alone or a great bonding activity to participate in with family or friends. Entire communities have been built around sharing crops from one garden to another and community gardens are becoming super popular. Plus gardening burns 200 - 400 calories per hour and even if you nibble from what you harvest, it's all healthy!

5. Fact: your own organic fruits and vegetables simply taste infinitely better. Produce pumped full of antibiotics just can't hold a candle to an organic tomato straight from the vine in the sun. Transit, storage, and refrigeration all dull the natural flavors of produce as well ... with fresh fruits and veggies from your garden the meals you prepare will be next-level amazing!

6. It's so much cheaper than buying organic produce at the grocery store! You can pay $4 for a packet of non GMO organic tomato seeds (yes, I have a thing for tomatoes, I'm originally from New Jersey) and germinate an entire tomato plant army yielding scores of vine-ripe goodness ... or you could pay $4 for ONE pound of store-bought organic tomatoes. I think that one's a no-brainer!

7. Organic farming is friendly to your environment. Because you won't be using pesticides or other equally harming products you won't degrade the soil or the air with chemical pollutants. You're also engaging in self-sustainability and are reducing your carbon footprint on the planet. Namaste.

Do you think you'll try your hand at gardening this summer? Container or in-ground and what would you grow?

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