Instead of laying down a lawn and multiple flower beds in your back garden, why not think about using part of this for planting a vegetable garden instead.
Planting a vegetable garden is a great way to spend time after a hard stressful day at work and at the same time getting in touch with nature. You will also take great pride in watching your hard labour develop day by day with an end result to be proud of. By implementing a planting programme throughout the year, you will be able to have a supply of vegetables all year round; you will also improve your health by eating more healthily and at the same time lessen you food expenses.
MONEY SAVING STRATERGY: It's very difficult these days to ignore the soaring prices of food items especially fresh vegetables. It may be that your back garden is small and your vegetable garden may not provide all that you need or require, but it will I'm sure have a dramatic effect in reducing your weekly/monthly food bill and that must appeal to you.
Can you image not having to run to the grocery store to buy vegetables to prepare dinner or lunch? The most common of vegetables that you need to prepare your meals are already there in your own vegetable garden. Depending upon the type of vegetables you decide to plant and your methods of preserving them, the economic benefits you get from your vegetable garden will be felt all year round. There is nothing better than creating a summer salad from the produce taken from your own garden, the produce that you have lovingly tended to throughout its growing life or pulling new potatoes to go with your Sunday Roast.
It is a known fact these days that children prefer to eat "Fast Foods" e.g. hotdogs, burgers and others and are likely to eat less vegetables at meal times. However with the increase of "Celebrity Chefs" flooding the bookstores with their recipes, there are many that show you a variety of meals to prepare that are both nutritious and appetizing even for the children. If the food you serve does not look and taste boring, your children will prefer this to the "fast food" servings.
MORE NUTRITIOUS MEALS: With a variety of vegetables to cook from your garden, you will find it more pleasurable to cook and serve vegetable dishes to your family. This also means that all the family will enjoy all the numerous health benefits of eating fresh produce since vegetables contain many nutrients. The fact is that vegetables are LOW in FATS, CALORIES and contain NO CHOLESTEROL. Cholesterol is one of the highest health problems that affect many people in the world today.
By eating more vegetables you will also get a steady source of the following:
DIETARY FIBRE - This is very important for the normal bowel movement and is exceptionally good for the entire digestive system. Dietary fibre is also known to reduce the amount of bad cholesterol in the body thus reducing the risk of heart diseases and reportedly can fight off certain forms of cancers. If you are also on a diet, eating vegetables will make you feel fuller faster. Vegetables that are rich in dietary fibre are PEAS, CARROTS, CABBAGE and SPINACH.
POTASSIUM - This is a necessary element for keeping BLOOD PRESSURE at a normal level. It is also very important in keeping the BRAIN, MUSCLES and other TISSUES in the body functioning and working normally. Vegetables that are high with potassium include POTATOES, SQUASH, TOMATO, AUBERGINE and CELERY.
VITAMINS A, B and C - Vitamin A is very good for the eyes, it promotes bone growth, tooth development and helps maintain healthy skin and hair. Vitamin B is important because it helps the body cells convert carbohydrates into energy. It is essential for the functioning of the heart, muscles and nervous system. Vitamin C is necessary to maintain healthy connective tissues and is known to boost the immune system.
The following vegetables PEAS, LEEKS, CARROTS, ASPARAGUS, BROCCOLI and GREEN PEPPER are rich in Vitamin A. PARSNIPS, POTATOES, BROCCOLI, PEAS and BEANS are a great source of Vitamin B and RED CABBAGE, KALE, PARSLEY and TURNIP are rich in Vitamin C.
There are other Vitamins and Minerals that you can get from vegetables. These are CALCIUM, PHOSPHOROUS, SODIUM, MAGNESIUM, IRON, NIACIN, ZINC and MANGANESE.
By replacing the Lawn and Flower Beds with a Vegetable Garden, you will not have to expend your energy on cutting the grass every week in the summer or watering the lawn to stop it from going "brown" and many other things. Instead by creating a vegetable garden, you are also contributing towards a healthier lifestyle for both yourself and your family, plus the satisfaction and pride each time you serve your family a meal whose vegetable ingredients you cultivated yourself in your vegetable garden. NOW YOU CAN'T GET THESE THINGS FROM A LAWN!
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