Getting our hands dirty is not really what everyone likes, but growing plants is a therapeutic, good antidote and will help one not to stress as much about the pandemic. Home farming is not a thing of the past. We can grow good, cheap and organic vegetables or plants can be placed in your vase.
It also makes one see their own capabilities of what their hands can do. Gardening is a great hobby to do with family members at home too. Planting fruits and vegetables, or flowers are a great way for you to spend time with nature, and it helps one harvest organic vegetables and save costs.
The feeling and aroma of fresh food adds life to that recipe and there is nothing that compares to it while also feeding your body the vital food that it needs. Gardening will not only save you money but it is also safer. Vegetables from the supermarkets may look fresh but often have contamination from pesticides on the farms, or during the delivery or packaging of plants. Gardening will give you fresh ones straight from your backyard farm.
Gardening may look like décor to some people, because it also helps create colours in your backyard, attract bees, and help have a healthy family and environment. It contributes towards getting rid of pesticides and chemicals that are harmful to the health of both people and the environment.
“Organic” farming means that the fruits and vegetables are grown without using chemical fertilisers or pesticides or any other artificial substances. Studies have shown that organically grown food helps with food security and has less of an environmental impact. It helps to cut down the air and water pollution, with less fossil fuels. Saving the environment is what is needed at this time, especially because soil erosion. We face the worst soil erosion in history, with more than three billion cubic metres of top soil lost through erosion every year. Every crop grown in a backyard helps to reduce these problems.
Growing your own food also gives a sense of pride. Saving money in these tough times is what everybody is thinking about these days. A packet of seeds for R20 helps one save more than R50 back from having to buy fresh produce. Planting seeds, nurturing them and watching them grow under your care gives you a feeling of accomplishment that is hard to explain. It is fun to do so with your family members, especially the little ones. It will teach them about the basics of saving energy, nature and give them a sense of pride.
This article was submitted on 31 July 2020. You may republish this article, so long as you credit the authors and Karibu! Online (www.Karibu.org.za), and do not change the text. Please include a link back to the original article.
