When Lisa and I where just married and struggling to keep fresh food on our table, a saint of a neighbor came to our rescue. Harry lived across the street, and his entire backyard was filled with produce-growing plants. His passion was vegetables and he purposely grew extra to share with family, neighbors, and the local food bank. Fresh tomatoes, peppers, squash and other bounty from his garden were delivered to our door. Believe me, we consumed every fruit he gave us! He was a lifesaver.
A lawn is beautiful to look at and Fifi enjoys going wee-wee on it, but a lawn is a wasteful entity. Better to mimic Harry and turn that space into vegetable gardens. It’s sure to use a fraction of the water consumption without the weekly chore of mowing. Add a few flowers to the garden and you not only benefit from fresh produce, but pollinating butterflies, bees and hummingbirds benefit as well.
Six Reasons to Become a Yard Farmer
Lawns Waste Resources
In the United States alone, there are approximately 40 million acres of unsustainable lawns; in 2015, the fifth largest crop by acreage was a turf-grass lawn. These lawns use valuable resources such as water, fertilizers, energy, fossil fuels and our time. In a given week, millions of gallons of gasoline are used in the weekly lawn mowing ritual. This becomes almost obscene when the U.S and Canada are doing everything possible to extract highly polluting oil resources out of tar sands, deep waters and soils by fracking. Gardeners are wasting time and energy maintaining lawns that look good for Fifi and the neighbors.
Community Building
Before the 1940s, supermarkets didn’t really exist. People either grew much of their own produce, or got their meat, dairy and other food items from local community farmers. Today, most of us jump into the car and drive to our nearest warehouse or supermarket for our edibles. Many Western countries have squandered resources around a car-dependent culture, which has led to the supermarket-dependent culture. Being involved in growing your own food helps build community. As people grow excess produce, they tend to share it with neighbors and friends, hence strengthening local networks and local community resilience.
Yard Farming Improves Overall Health
Studies have shown that people who grow their own produce tend to eat healthier foods and usually share them with others members of their families and community. Hence, the effect of growing food locally helps reduce reliance on industrially produced and chemically enhanced foods.
Food Security
A packet of seeds costs only a few dollars; yet, this packet of seeds will generate hundreds of plants. With the price of fruit and vegetables increasing and inflation eating away our spending power, it makes sense to grow as much of our own food as possible. As Harry used to say, “Growing your own food is like printing your own money.” He was right then and he’s still right today; the more fresh produce one grows lessens dependence on long supply chains and highly industrial food systems.
Increasing Local Food Production and Efficiency
Some of the benefits of a backyard, or other locally sourced food, include: reduced number of miles “fresh” food must travel, development of local food security, fostering of improved soil quality, less waste of packaging and storage costs, supporting small farms and independent garden center owners, promoting of local employment opportunities, increased flow of capital within local areas, higher quality produce not dependent upon the global supply chain, and better environmental outcomes in regards to pollution and use of fossil fuels.
I Know Where the Food Came From
Becoming a yard farmer or purchasing from a local farmer reduces the long distance our food travels to reach us. Produce grown locally is fresher than that purchased from the supermarket. Many supermarkets use extensive cold storage and distribution centers to hold and process fruits and vegetables. Goods are in transit and cold-stored for days, even weeks, reducing their nutritive values. Instead of using large storage and processing facilities, local farmers and growers pick and rapidly distribute their ultra-fresh produce to customers.
If you need help growing better vegetables and herbs this spring, we at Watters are here to help. Our center has the largest selection of locally grown, pesticide free, organic vegetables in Northern Arizona, with the experts to show you how to grow them.
Until next month, I’ll see you in the vegetable department here at Watters Garden Center.
By Ken Lain
Ken Lain, the Mountain Gardener, can be found throughout the week at Watters Garden Center, 1815 W. Iron Springs Rd in Prescott, or contacted through his web site at WattersGardenCenter.com or FB.com/WattersGardenCenter .