The Value of a Backyard Garden Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Value of a Backyard Garden - Essay Example A well-managed backyard garden can save you money, promotes mental well being, and improves you overall health. We all know the value placed on good nutrition and it's alarming how many people cut corners in an effort to save money at the grocery store. With a garden, you have an all-you-can eat vegetable stand right in you own backyard. The real bonus is that it is always open and there is never any charge. You can grow almost any of your favorite vegetables, and growing your own cabbage, broccoli, carrots, or beans of your choice can result in substantial savings. Excess vegetables can be frozen, dried, or canned and provide you with a year round supply of some of your favorite foods. The gas you save by making fewer trips to the grocery store is well worth the cost of the seeds alone. With a backyard garden brimming with mouth-watering vegetables, you can say goodbye to the high cost of supermarket shopping forever. Digging in the dirt to plant your first seeds will overwhelm you with the feeling of a child's first Christmas. Anxious to see the signs of new progress, you check the seedbeds daily for the sight of the first new sprouts. The new growth stretches as the young plants reach for the sun and fills you with a new sense of curiosity. As the garden grows, a feeling of accomplishment and awe comes over you as you see the lush vegetation begin to flower and produce fruit. The scent of the zinnias and the sight of the squash brings a sense of well being over you as you check the daily growth of your efforts. Pride, serenity, and a sense of mystery takes over your mind and you begin to realize that when you are in your backyard garden, you are at peace. The stress of the day's activities subsides and you carry this renewed sense of calm with you into tomorrow as the world becomes more manageable. In a country where obesity is a monumental problem, fast food advertising dominates the television, and we are continually lectured on the importance of eating right, we need to look no farther than our own backyard to discover the key to good health. Vegetables have been proclaimed to reduce the risk of cancer, reduce blood pressure, and keep us heart healthy. Along with great taste, fresh vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals and nutrients necessary to maintain good health. The exercise you get from weeding the garden and the addition of the low fat vegetables to your diet is a one-two punch guaranteed to keep you in shape. Your backyard garden could be the most valuable weapon in your arsenal for achieving good health. The escalating cost of gasoline and the high cost of supermarket vegetables makes growing a backyard garden a sound and practical economic choice. Storing your vegetables for winter use lets you enjoy the savings year around. The experience of watching your garden grow from seeds to plants is one of the most satisfying pleasures that can be had in a backyard. The garden will give you a more positive outlook on life as you monitor its growth and delight in your own self-achievement. Weeding and hoeing in the dirt is good physical exercise that we are all in dire need of. The addition of these healthy foods into our diet will assure that we are getting the most nutritious food available, and improve our chances of eliminating and reducing the risk of disease and illness.