Planting a Vegetable Garden Reaps
Hidden Health Benefits
by Laurence Ireland
Planting a vegetable garden is a healthy way to relieve stress, eat healthier and safer - because you control what goes on your vegetables, provide better nutrition to your family with fresh vegetables, and get some exercise while enjoying the warm sun and environment.
You can challenge your creative side by laying out your vegetable garden so that your space looks great. Whether you have a huge area for a vegetable garden, a small area, or just a deck or patio, by being creative you can use your space optimally. There is nothing more satisfying than growing your own vegetables in your own vegetable garden without the use of pesticides or chemicals, keeping you and your family that much healthier.
Planting a vegetable garden will promote good health and give you some nice gentle exercise. By planting and tending to your garden you control what you eat as well as how it is grown plus it just doesn't get any fresher than this.
Even apartment or flat dwellers can produce a nice size vegetable garden on their balconies. Most developments will allow flower box size gardens, just pay attention to the weight. Remember, a vegetable garden box 15cm(6") wide by 60cm(24") can weigh as much as 27Kg(60lbs) when wet from the rain, so you do not want to hang it over the balcony for fear of it breaking loose and falling. Instead, secure it to the top of the ledge or on the balcony floor. You can also invest in brackets that will take the weight. That way you don't have to worry about anyone getting hurt below if it falls.
Planting a vegetable garden outside will give you more exercise than you might realize and the good news is, that it's a nice gentle exercise so just about anyone can do it. All that planting, raking, pulling weeds, and watering so that your plants grow and produce delicious vegetables from your vegetable garden, provides you with an excellent low impact workout.
Starting a vegetable garden can be a little tougher and produce a little more exercise - but hey!... that`s not a bad thing - is it?. You will need to prepare the soil for planting. Besides removing weeds and debris from your vegetable garden to be, you may need to have top soil or fertilizer brought in depending on the condition of the soil. Working the soil can give you quite a work out, but you want it to be in optimum condition so that your vegetable garden is as healthy as possible.
You may need to frame your garden space so that the soil stays contained within your vegetable garden area and is easy to work on. If you are going to use a wood frame, do not use wood that has been treated with anything that can contaminate the soil. Framing your vegetable garden beds will also increase the depth of the soil giving better growing conditions for your plants.
When the soil is ready, it's time to start to plant out your vegetable garden. You will need to decide whether you want to use young vegetable plants or seeds. There are pros and cons to each. Young vegetable plants cost more, but they give you the edge to get your plants rooted and growing. Seeds are cheaper but they may not all come up. Both are healthy, so it's really a personal choice.
Deciding to grow your own vegetables in your own vegetable garden is one of the smartest things you will ever do for you and your family. Not only are you going to get to enjoy some sunshine and thus get your vitamin D, you'll get some exercise which these days we all can use a little more of, and you are going to be feeding your family a lot healthier.
You'll be feeding your family fresher fruits and vegetables that you get to control. You decide what fertilizers and pesticides are okay to use on your vegetable garden, or whether you are going to do the smart thing and use natural products that will keep your family even healthier.
These days when we buy fresh vegetables at our grocery store or supermarket they often aren't that fresh after spending days travelling. On top of that, too often they are picked too early which reduces the amount of nutrients you get. With your own vegetable garden, it just can't get any fresher and there is no need to pick early. There's nothing like a fresh salad or a tomato picked right off the vine.
Planting a vegetable garden is going to give you good health in more ways than one - you will get a little exercise, excellent nutrition, chemical free vegetables, and you can spend a little time outdoors soaking up the nutrients the sun has to offer.
About the Author: Laurence Ireland has long experienced the joys and challenges of planting a vegetable garden in his own back garden. Learn how to prepare, plant and harvest safe, nutritious vegetables. Taste the good life - be healthier and more content. Free growing tips emailed to you, visit the: Planting a vegetable garden website http://www.vegetable-garden-guide.com/
