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New year is all about new year's resolutions. In this video Mark shares his top 5 reasons why a food garden should be part of yours. Let's... get in to it! 
No. 1 - Big A
We are losing family farms at a rapid rate. Big agriculture makes food farming a job, rather than a lifestyle. When controlled by people with "no skin in the game", corners will be cut. When applied to our food, this means the quality may drop and it could contain chemicals.
Growing your food at home means you know exactly what's in it, gives you a lot of variety and you can harvest it at the right time. No more underripe tomatoes ripened off the vine, lacking flavour and nutrition.
No. 2 - Global warming
The earth is warming up. Why not take advantage of this, as the Winters will be warmer and thusly you may have a longer growing season. On top of that, plants absorb carbon dioxide (which we breathe out) and produce oxygen!
No. 3 - Supply chain problems & Inflation
No longer would you be affected by the decisions of the government and big supermarket chains. The ridiculously rising costs in energy means everything costs more, and like a domino-effect it affects the consumers. Machinery to grow the food costs more, transporting the food costs more, stocking the food costs more, and as a result it will cost more for the consumer.
Growing your own food means you grow and manufacture it yourself, and control it's "cost" yourself.
No. 4 - Excersize & Mental health
Spending time in the garden is both beneficial to your physical and mental health. Getting out in the garden helps reduce your stress levels, and for a lot of people is their "zen" place. Going to the gym can be boring and repetetive - and not to forget, quite expensive too. Gardening gives one purpose and is good excersize to keep you fit. And as an added bonus you're also producing something.
No. 5 - Variety
Did you know that there are over 20,000 varieties of tomatoes? There's more than 10,000 varieties of potatoes, more than 200 varieties of corn, and at least 2,500 varieties of citrus. How many varieties do you see in the supermarket? Often times supermarkets don't stock more than 1 to 4 varieties of each product, giving you very limited options. On top of that, different species can have different nutrients, helping you adjust to your nutrient needs.
There's also a lot of varieties that aren't seen in the big supermarkets at all. There's a world of food out there for you to discover and love.
Bonus tip
Be an active member on this forum! There's a load of gardeners around more than happy to share their tips and tricks, and to answer any questions you may have along the way. There's no gatekeeping here, and want everyone to succeed.
Handy tip! Want to talk to Mark directly? Did you know that there is another way, outside the forum?
Support Mark on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/selfsufficientme (the top tier enables mentoring from Mark via an exclusive VIP email where he will answer your questions etc ASAP).
No. 1 - Big A
We are losing family farms at a rapid rate. Big agriculture makes food farming a job, rather than a lifestyle. When controlled by people with "no skin in the game", corners will be cut. When applied to our food, this means the quality may drop and it could contain chemicals.
Growing your food at home means you know exactly what's in it, gives you a lot of variety and you can harvest it at the right time. No more underripe tomatoes ripened off the vine, lacking flavour and nutrition.
No. 2 - Global warming
The earth is warming up. Why not take advantage of this, as the Winters will be warmer and thusly you may have a longer growing season. On top of that, plants absorb carbon dioxide (which we breathe out) and produce oxygen!
No. 3 - Supply chain problems & Inflation
No longer would you be affected by the decisions of the government and big supermarket chains. The ridiculously rising costs in energy means everything costs more, and like a domino-effect it affects the consumers. Machinery to grow the food costs more, transporting the food costs more, stocking the food costs more, and as a result it will cost more for the consumer.
Growing your own food means you grow and manufacture it yourself, and control it's "cost" yourself.
No. 4 - Excersize & Mental health
Spending time in the garden is both beneficial to your physical and mental health. Getting out in the garden helps reduce your stress levels, and for a lot of people is their "zen" place. Going to the gym can be boring and repetetive - and not to forget, quite expensive too. Gardening gives one purpose and is good excersize to keep you fit. And as an added bonus you're also producing something.
No. 5 - Variety
Did you know that there are over 20,000 varieties of tomatoes? There's more than 10,000 varieties of potatoes, more than 200 varieties of corn, and at least 2,500 varieties of citrus. How many varieties do you see in the supermarket? Often times supermarkets don't stock more than 1 to 4 varieties of each product, giving you very limited options. On top of that, different species can have different nutrients, helping you adjust to your nutrient needs.
There's also a lot of varieties that aren't seen in the big supermarkets at all. There's a world of food out there for you to discover and love.
Bonus tip
Be an active member on this forum! There's a load of gardeners around more than happy to share their tips and tricks, and to answer any questions you may have along the way. There's no gatekeeping here, and want everyone to succeed.
Handy tip! Want to talk to Mark directly? Did you know that there is another way, outside the forum?
Support Mark on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/selfsufficientme (the top tier enables mentoring from Mark via an exclusive VIP email where he will answer your questions etc ASAP).
