Why grow food?

With food costs steadily rising along with the cost of living, gas and almost everything else these
days, it’s starting to make more and more sense to grow your own food. Why not fight inflation
by planting your own fruit tree orchard or raised bed full of delicious vegetables? Below are
some reasons to start growing your own food, if you dont’t already yet.

Save money at the grocery store
Obviously, with the cost of food on a weekly trip to the supermarket going up and up, growing
your own food is going to help you save some cash. Fruit is generally pretty expensive, as it is
usually shipped from overseas. Vegetables are starting to feel this cost pressure too. A pound of
Honeycrisp apples can be up to $2.99 a pound, meaning that just a bagful of a few apples can
get you close to $10. Instead of spending tens of dollars on apples a week, you can avoid this
by investing in an apple tree that may even provide more than you can eat in a season.

Eat healthier
Eating vegetables and fruits fresh from your garden is a great way to incorporate healthy foods
into your diet. You don’t even have to grow everything that the meal calls for. By just adding in a
freshly grown tomato or pepper here or there in a pasta dish or breakfast meal, you’ll be adding
much more nutrient dense ingredients into your food, rather than potentially chemically ripened
veggies from the grocery store.

Enjoy the time spent outside
Just by proxy of gardening, you’ll be spending more time outside. Spending time outside does
wonders for your overall quality of life, physical health and mental health. This is especially true
when spent in an idyllic setting like a garden. You’ll be getting vitamin D from the sunshine,
working up a sweat from weeding or moving plants around, and soaking up the ambiance of
nature. All of these effects of spending time outside are a surefire, healthy way to enjoy an
afternoon.

Connect with nature
By growing your own food, you’ll begin to get attuned to nature. You’ll be able to watch the
natural cycle of life, with seedlings turning into mature plants, and those mature plants growing
fresh fruits. These plants will eventually give way to the cold of winter, yet there is beauty in the
process. Growing your own food lets you know what foods are in season, in your area, and lets
you enjoy the rewards of a full growing season.

Share with neighbors
An added bonus to growing your own food in a garden or backyard fruit orchard, is that you’re
likely to end up with a surplus of food. If you’re friends with your neighbors, why not stop by on a
harvest day to drop off some extras? If you don’t yet know your neighbors, given the price of
food and the rarity of fresh produce in some areas, you may become fast friends. Either way,
sharing your bounty with neighbors is a fun way to socialize, which is yet another benefit of
growing your own food.

Growing your own food is fun, easy and a delicious way to connect to nature and your
community. At Whispering Hills, we carry everything your landscape needs and everything to
supply a well stocked garden. Shop our full selection of fruit trees, vegetables, herbs, fruit
bushes and garden supply including mulch, compost and soil.

Whispering Hills Garden and Landscape Center is a full service landscape center and nursery
located in Cary, Illinois. Give us a call or stop in today to see our full selection