There are so many reasons to start your own organic garden; I hardly know where to begin. There are so many dangerous and untested food additives being added to our food that growing your own produce could almost be considered a prerequisite to good health. Our children are taught good nutritional habits in school, but they aren’t taught about pesticide residue on fruits and vegetables, or about the dangers of so-called “healthy” drinks that contain high fructose corn syrup. In fact, most American adults are purposely kept in the dark about these dangers. To keep your children safe from the harmful chemicals used in commercially grown fruits and vegetables, why not start your own organic garden? Here are 6 more reasons starting an organic garden is beneficial.

1. 1. Eat healthy for less. Organic food is definitely healthier for us; however, organic food can get really expensive! Growing your own healthy fruits and vegetables is a less expensive option for feeding your children safe and healthy foods.

2. 2. Know where your food’s coming from. By growing our own foods, we not only know where it’s coming from, we know exactly how it was grown and that it’s free from dangerous pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals.

3. 3. Higher in Vitamins and Minerals. It has been shown that organically grown produce is higher in naturally occurring vitamins and minerals that help prevent cancer. Given the choice of eating chemically treated cancer causing produce and organically grown cancer preventing produce, I think the answer is obvious.

4. 4. Fresh Tasting Meals and Snacks. Growing your own fruits and vegetables for use in your cooking and for your kid’s snacks isn’t only healthier, it tastes great! I remember eating vegetables picked right from the ground in my grandmother’s garden as a kid…and they tasted so much different than even the “fresh” produce you find at the supermarket today.

5. 5. Protect the environment. The chemicals in herbicides, pesticides and insecticides are harmful not only to us, but also our earth. Organic gardening helps protect ecosystems, animals, our health and our environment.

6. 6. Support a Healthy Ecosystem. Think about it; prior to the 1900s gardening and farming was done all naturally. There weren’t issues with our chemical practices killing animals…nature was respected as our sustenance, and therefore wasn’t abused as it is today. An organic garden creates healthy, rich soil which in turn promotes a healthy ecosystem naturally.

Keep your family healthy, support your local farmers and your local economy all in one fell swoop! This week, from August 1-7, is National Farmers Market Week!

Why Shop at Farmers Markets?

Shopping at Farmers Markets gives you access to fresh fruits and vegetables, and at some, you can even find fresh, rBGH free milk and dairy products, hormone free meats and free range chicken. Your children will have delicious foods to eat that don’t contain all those dangerous food additives!

Because of the mass producing that industrial farms are able to do, small family farms that still grow healthy produce and raise animals the natural way (without artificial hormones and unnecessary chemicals) can’t keep up. Help keep small family farms running by shopping at your local farmers market.

Think about what would happen to a farming family if they lost the farm due to a lack of business. They would lose their livelihood, their home, their heritage…the land would get snatched up by some billionaire company that would demolish it just to build more buildings and make more money. The family may have a hard time finding a new place to live, and new jobs…some of these farmers have farmed their entire life and don’t know any other way to make a living!

To me, farming is a complete representation of the American dream. The smell of the farm, the sounds of the cows, chickens and goats, the sight of corn growing as far as your eye can see…it’s all peaceful, relaxing and symbolizes freedom. Children growing up on a farm learn a lot of important life lessons, including a strong work ethic.

If you aren’t sure where there is a Farmers Market near you, try searching the Farmers Market search engine.