Organic foods are very expensive on the market but can be produced cheaply on that small space around where you live. Your backyard can bring you so much joy.
Backyard gardens are relatively small areas around homes we use to grow food for ourselves and the family. The practice has been going on for ages but this practice is declining in our region for obvious reasons.
We often presume food can always be obtained from the open market. So, why waste time grow our own in a garden? or “… don’t have the time to work on a garden” and a number of other reasons.
However, backyard gardens is your little solution for a very big problem that have quite been overlooked and more so for the reason of surviving the current climate change leading to food shortages.
Read to the end to the immense benefits of backyard farming.
1. Source of fresh and organic food
Who wouldn’t chose fresh and organic food?. Home gardens are very manageable and usually, in cases of insects and disease control, organic means could easily be applied. It is very important when you are very sure and have total control over the quality of food produced. You cannot be so sure of what is out there. Take advantage of that.
Read also: Organic Farming: Types, Principles, Methods and Importance
2. Gardening is a very good physical and mental exercise
The experts say, gardening activities like soil preparation, planting, removal of weeds, watering, etc. engage most of your body muscles and are very good exercises. Gardening engages your mind too. They say, gardening 45 minutes early mornings each day before any other work, prepares you physically and mentally like 30 minutes of aerobics.
3. Supplements family budgets
In our region, many families’ (usually large) expenditure on food is greatly reduced. These are families that actively grow home gardens and they are able to cut down expenditure on food to about 40%. Adding to this, they are sure of the quality of the produce. This has been a major incentive for many to plant home gardens in many households. Some families only need to buy cooking oil and spices and the rest comes from their gardens.
Read also: 7 Tips on Profitable Farming with Good Records Keeping
4. Year-round food availability from backyard gardens
Since gardens are relatively small in land size, irrigation is easier and so continuous food supply through the seasons. Try it.
5. Gardening makes good use of space and protects the soil
Putting it this way; we use the soil space around the house to plant a garden that gives all the benefits stated above and the one below. Plus, when we cover the soil with beneficial cover crops, erosion is reduced and regular bush growth around the house is minimised. Hope we have made that point clearer.
Read also: 10 Simple and Easy Soil Tests
6. Entertainment, fulfilment and creativity
The one having the experience can well explain this point. It is a good feeling. Try it. Gardening is a source of entertainment and really brings out lots of creativity in you. The art of planting various crops in the soil, nurturing them and watching them grow by the day and finally so see them blossom into fruits, is such a good feeling. You would be proud to say at the dining table, “this food is from my garden”. So fulfilled.
We would advise you to revive the hobby of gardening and establish your own backyard gardens.
