Horticulture is one of the important branches of agricultural production, which provides fruits of berry and fruit crops. Moreover, the products a person receives by growing fruit and berry crops are distinguished by high taste qualities and ensure the supply of human nutrients. To do gardening, you must understand all the pros and cons of such a troublesome business. This article will tell you how and why working in your garden can become one of your favorite activities.
Unlike those grown in your garden, you will never buy delicious vegetables in a store or even at the market—fragrant, ripe, and healthy. The variety can be grown to the one you want. Besides, you know what you watered and fertilized your vegetables with. You know there’s nothing harmful about them. You can be sure that this is healthy food, truly environmentally friendly. Even farmers today often fertilize their plants with something not very useful, so the yield is greater.
The advantages of your own vegetable garden
- Money. You can save money by planting and growing your own vegetables. You can also improve your soil by making your own compost or using municipal compost.
- Maintaining good physical shape. Depending on your perspective, the effort required to plant and maintain a garden can be a pro or a con. If the garden owner does not move much, for example, at a sedentary job, then taking care of the garden will be an excellent alternative to the gym. The physical aspect of gardening can also relieve stress.
- The possibility of additional earnings. Planting and caring for a garden takes time. Many gardeners love gardening so much that the time they spend tending to the garden becomes a hobby as well as a profitable activity. You can make a small business, for example, you can sell your own products to other people who will be sure of the quality of vegetables and become your regular customers.
- Canning production. Homemade preserves for the winter will be much tastier and more useful than store-bought preserves. Also, you can save on buying vegetables in winter.
The joy of working on a plot of land.
It’s always lovely to see the results of your work. Plant survival seeds, water them, watch them grow, and give fruit.
Create beautiful beds and flower beds to enjoy your site’s beauty.
Grow a wide variety of vegetables in color, taste and size.
Disadvantages of your home garden
Disadvantages that you can face having your own vegetable garden. A garden plot can also become a reason to upset its owner, but all these problems can be solved.
Possible problems:
- Pests. Often, various bugs and pests attack plants, which can lead to devastating results, significantly reducing or even destroying the future harvest. In order to avoid such troubles, it is necessary to treat the plants with unique means in time.
- Weeds. These are herbaceous plants that grow on uncultivated land and quickly appear after rains. This means that the garden will have to be weeded often. If this is not done, the plants may simply die or not give a good harvest.
- Gardening requires costs. Before starting a garden, make sure you can afford it. Purchasing seeds, seedlings, garden equipment, soil amendments, and fertilizers are necessary.
- The thieves. This problem is faced by suburban areas whose owners do not live there permanently and are absent for a long time.
- Losses. You should always be prepared for possible losses. It may be a lean year. Or the fruits will be spoiled by hail. Heavy rain can wash recently sown seeds and even planted potatoes from the ground.
What are the benefits for the environment?
Homesteading provides numerous environmental and ecological benefits. The basis of this activity is the use of environmentally friendly approaches to the production of food products, which allows preserving natural resources. Such gardens contain a wide range of plant species, including heirloom seeds and rare or endangered plants. Тhe home garden is one of the best places to preserve rare biodiversity. Gardens can provide shelter and habitat for a variety of wildlife, such as birds, insects, and mammals.
Ancestral techniques such as hugelkultur can also help you enhance the yield on your crops.
What are the benefits for society?
Improving food security. A home garden not only improves the health of the individual family but also contributes to household food security by increasing the availability, accessibility, and utilization of food. Homegrown produce provides and increases people’s nutrient needs on an ongoing basis. Also, it is the easiest access to fresh plant-based food in towns and villages.
Plants are a source of medicine for humans and animals. For example, herbs and medicinal plants grown on homesteads can be used for the treatment and prevention of various diseases.
What are the benefits for the economy?
Homesteads have significant advantages in the economic sphere. This type of activity contributes to the improvement of the material condition of families. Home production is less expensive and requires less investment. This can turn into its own business because garden produce can be sold for additional income while contributing to social and cultural improvement.
Development of horticulture
The general state of development of the horticulture industry can be illustrated by the dynamics of changes in the entire area of fruit and berry crops. From 2000 to 2019, the area of all fruit and berry crops has almost halved and now amounts to about 225,000 hectares.
То sum up: should you start a home garden?
Yes, you should start home gardening if you are interested in improving your health and contributing to the environment. The risk of getting a foodborne illness is reduced because you will know what vegetables and fruits are fertilized with.
Today, gardening can turn into a business that will bring income and improve your financial situation. Ecologically clean vegetables and greens can be sold at the bazaar or to people who do not have time to garden.
A garden can also become a habitat and a way to preserve wildlife. Such ecosystem services can prevent the extinction of wild animals.Also if you choose to start a garden, find a reputable heirloom seed provider, such as the Ethos Seed Company as they offer a very wide variety of vegetable seeds.