Many people might not consider themselves green-fingered, but there are lots of benefits to growing your own fruit and vegetables. To back up National Allotment Week 2018, which ran between August 13th and 19th, we are going to tell you about just a few.
- Healthier produce
The most obvious advantage to eating produce you grow yourself is that it is much healthier and fresher than stuff you buy in stores. Free from pesticides and preservatives, you know exactly what you are eating and can be confident you are not ingesting anything you’re not sure of.
What’s more, you and your children are much more likely to eat a greater amount of fruit and vegetables if you grow them yourself.
- Become part of the community
There is a huge social benefit to working on an allotment, as you can interact with people all the time. Getting to know other gardeners and chatting to them regularly is great for your mental health.
In addition to this, you instantly have an active role to play in the community by having an allotment. You can help shape the neighbourhood you live in, and watch it improve over time.
- Get active
Gardening and growing fruit and vegetables is not easy work, and you’ll probably be surprised how physically exerting it can be. However, this exercise is great for your health, and being outdoors all day will boost your vitamin D levels and general wellbeing, so long as you protect yourself from the sun as well.
- Spruce up meals
Allotments are not just about growing apple trees and tomato plants, and there is a huge variety of produce you can grow on the land.
If you love having lots of friends over for big feasts, BBQs and social gatherings, you can impress them with your own produce. Serving grilled courgettes on olive wood boards, or treating your guests to grapes you have grown yourself with delicious Spanish manchego cheese will certainly blow them away.