Creative Ideas to Grow Your Own Food And Promising Benefits
Growing my own food has never really been a question for me. When I was little my grandma grew a HUGE garden, like rows and rows of vegetables. She lived on a farm and her garden could make up my entire backyard in the city. We would spend a whole day tipping and freezing or canning beans and another day on corn and so on. Having a garden that size is still on my radar. Until then, I make do with the space I have.
My grandma also raised her own chickens, guineas, turkeys, and cattle. Some urban areas do allow folks to raise livestock. Check with your local extensions, HOA’s, zoning, and be the courteous neighbor too.
Some preppers might ask why they need to grow their own food. Can’t they just stock up on canned and frozen goods? You definitely could. And depending on your available growing space, you may need to purchase some canned or frozen goods. But let’s dig into why you would want to grow your own, if possible.
If you are already set on growing your own food, skip down to Types of Gardens or Animals to Raise.
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Why Grow Your Own?
Price
The other day a gal was commenting on the price of green bell peppers in the store-$3.99 each! That right there is all the motivation some people need to grow their own food. You have control over how much you plant and harvest, and to some degree, the number of animals you raise. You might pay that price for a pack of organic seeds, however, I haven’t even seen seeds cost that much. It’s totally worth it.
Freshness and wax
There is nothing compared to eating fresh produce right out of your garden! You don’t have to apply any wax to it, nor does it have to be picked before its prime. It’s warm from the sun and juicy and absolutely perfect! Fresh eggs and milk are hard to beat as well.
Without chemicals
Lots of gardeners and farmers find ways to grow their own foods without chemicals. Others find natural or organic ways to deal with pests and diseases. Most importantly, it’s your choice! You’re not just limited to what’s in the cold case at the store.
Low supply
When supplies in the grocery stores run low, you can feel confident that you have a number of fruits, veggies, and/or meat and dairy. In addition, you can estimate your family’s needs for the year and plan accordingly.
Preserving
Preserving (and eating) foods when they are at their prime are the best ways to get the most nutrition out of your food. There are many people who preserve store-bought foods when they go on sale, but you’ll get the best bang for your buck when you grow it yourself.
Healthier eating habits
People that grow their own food tend to eat healthier. Studies have been conducted with children showing that planting, harvesting, and cooking your own vegetables improves overall behavior towards eating vegetables.* If this is your goal, add this step to your process.
Relaxing and physical work
I particularly enjoy the relaxation and physical work I get from growing my own food! It’s grounding, which helps with handling stress in the bigger world. Gardening and raising animals keep you moving your body in ways to stay healthy by squatting, lifting, and more. Check with your doctor if you’re concerned about physical movements. Raised garden beds can help relieve pressure from your knees and back.
Easy access
The best part is your food is easily accessible (bar waiting for and killing livestock)! I can go out to my garden in my pj’s, coffee in hand, and pick out the herbs and veggies I want to include in my omelet. I mean some people don’t mind shopping in their pj’s but it’s not my cup of tea.
You might be thinking that’s great for people…
- Who live in the country
- Who have a backyard
- Who have all that time
But there are so many types of gardens that maybe you just need to figure out which type is best for you! Check these out:
Grow Your Own: Types of gardens
Food you like
Seems obvious, right? Really, it’s just a good place to start your list. Deciding what to grow can be overwhelming, so keep it simple and just start with the foods you eat most. You can grow a salsa garden, a salad garden, an Italian garden for making spaghetti sauces, a traditional Chinese garden, a culinary herb garden, or a tea garden. There’s no rule that says you have to plant the obligatory tomatoes and cucumbers. Have some fun with it! Get creative!
Hell, you might decide to ditch the garden idea and use all your space to grow grape vines and make your own wine!
Food for your growing zone
This will narrow down the overwhelm a little. There are 13 growing zones that tell you which plants you can grow in your area based on the temperatures. Find your zone here and learn more about the plants that you can grow.
Food for your available space
Some foods do require a heap of real estate, like pumpkins, rows of corn, or cattle. On the other hand, if you gather up some creativity and ingenuity and do a little Google searching, you can just about find a way to grow anything (well maybe not cattle).
Rooftop garden
Living in a city paved with cement, rooftop gardening might be your only option. And there are some gorgeous rooftop gardens! In addition, there are also many benefits to rooftop gardening other than the harvest you’ll reap. First, check with building management and how many pounds can be placed per square foot.
Backyard garden
Very common in suburban neighborhoods, but often underused because people want space for pools, pets, and for children to run and play too. Understandable, but I think we can all have our cake and eat it too if we just brainstorm a little.
Raised bed garden
These are great for people who have back or knee problems and can’t easily get down on the ground. They also keep pets out and some pests. They can be placed out in your yard, on your deck or patio or driveway, anywhere really.
Wall or vertical garden
Now we are getting really creative when it comes to limited space! Wall gardens can also be fabulous pieces of artwork. They can be as simple as palette vertical gardens too.
Container patio garden
If you have space but not dirt, you might consider container gardening. There are many books dedicated just to container gardening (and all the other types as well) to help you pick out the right containers for each plant, spacing, and watering.
Microgreens inside
Maybe you want to grow indoors. Microgreens are very popular and healthy. With the help of a grow lamp or sunny window, they can grow just about anywhere. They can also grow vertically.
Medicinal garden
Seeing food as medicine brings a whole new light to gardening. Understanding the particular energies foods have, which compliment your own energies and help balance you out, and which to stay away from can really change your perspective. Planting herbs and trees to fill your medicine cabinet with salves, tinctures, and teas gives you physical, mental, and spiritual relief.
Grow Your Own: Animals to Raise
As I mentioned above, I grew up watching my grandma raise chickens, guineas, turkeys, and cattle. Similarly, my cousins have raised pigs, peacocks, goats, and horses. I have a friend that raises rabbits for their meat too! My parents’ old neighbor raised ducks. Some live on acreages, some in the city. When I did my research on raising chickens in the city, I first learned I only needed a permit 🙂 But then I opened a daycare and learned that I was not permitted to raise fowl and run the daycare 🙁
You won’t know until you check with your zoning and permits or agricultural departments in your area. Ducks, chickens, turkeys, rabbits, quail, and bees can often be raised in your backyard. Goats, horses, pigs, and cows need a little more space.
Beyond that, it can be a great experience! You get one step closer to being self-sufficient. Many of these animals make great companions, are wonderfully educational for children, and (like produce) provide farmers with something to share with their neighbors too!
What will you grow?!
With such a long list of possibilities, the hardest question might be what to start with first? I do suggest taking it slow, one project at a time; one garden, one animal. I am totally guilty of ambitiously buying up lots of supplies and plants just to run out of time or steam and not get them all planted. First, do your homework. Secondly, have fun with it too! It’s such an amazing feeling to see, taste, and smell the benefits of your hard work (even manure)! Let us know in the comments what you’re growing.
*Kim SO, Park SA. Garden-Based Integrated Intervention for Improving Children’s Eating Behavior for Vegetables. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(4):1257. Published 2020 Feb 15. doi:10.3390/ijerph17041257
