5 reasons to start growing your own food or start an allotment

The recent COVID pandemic has taught us that in order to live our best lives we must spend more time outside in nature and have access to nutritious food not supermarket queues! Growing food is a great thing to do for your future health and our planets too.

Here’s 5 reasons we think you need to start growing in 2022!

1) Food is medicine!

You want to make sure your brain and body are getting the best nutrients available to them - by growing your own there’s no better way to be more in control of your health needs. Once you start eating your own produce and compare it to shop bought - you’ll never want to go back! ‍

FYI: Produce loses on average 30% nutrients within 3 days of being picked.

2) It’s super sustainable and planet friendly!

Single use plastic shop bought produce can travel hundreds if not thousands of miles and use many fossil fuels in their creation and distribution. Don’t contribute towards that system by growing your own, avoiding pesticides and chemical fertilizers and go field to fork in hours not days! ‍

FYI: The UK imports over 50% of the food it consumes every year.

3) Help local biodiversity flourish!

Investing in the environment around us will help nature thrive! By growing vegetables, flowers and fruit you’re helping create and sustain life above and below the ground. From attracting pollinators, to composting for good soil health, or boosting underground fungal networks - you will be directly contributing towards a brighter future for us all.‍

FYI: ⅓ of British Wild Bees are in decline

4) Get a Mental, Physical, Social Boost

Watching nature grow helps open your senses to new sites, colours, smells, tastes and experiences. You’ll get a sweet mental boost from taking part in such a sensory and wholesome activity - especially when you’re sharing tasty home grown produce with friends and family.  ‍

FYI: People who garden at least 2 or 3 times a week experience less stress and an increased sense of wellbeing comparable to that of daily exercise.

5) Save money, gain better food security

Fresh produce is becoming increasingly more expensive and weekly shop prices are likely to keep on going up and up! Brexit, climate change, covid, staff issues - we’re not too sure what’s going on either! We think the best thing to do is to grow your own and know that you’ll be saving money and gaining health!‍

FYI: A salad may cost £1.50 in supermarkets but a packet of 100 seeds is less than £1!