How Your Garden Supports You & the Planet

No matter the space you’re working with inside or outside, you can still have a garden. A Cook Dealer from Muskogee, OK actually grows food inside, year round, with Hydroponic towers.

Cook Dealer Dionna Chao says she’s tried to make herself a little more self sufficient. She has a chicken house, bee house and grows a lot of her own food.

She uses the hydroponic technique and has a 3 ft. by 7 ft. high footprint, with 44 plants. She grows lettuce, cucumbers, herbs, tomatoes and more.

Hydroponics is a growing method where you don’t use any soil. You need a growing medium, which can be things like gravel or sand. Then, you add water and nutrients. Here’s a resource on understanding how hydroponics work.

This could even be a great addition to your shed if you’d rather not have plants growing inside your home. With Cook you can add additional windows and build your shed the way you want it. Check out all of your options here!

Dionna was surprised at how much she enjoyed working in her garden. She started out trying to do something that made the house look nicer and then found she really liked it. Right now she’s experimenting to see what works and what she likes best in gardening. She encourages you to as well!

So, how does a garden help you and the planet? There are so many ways!

-Cuts down on waste

By growing your own food, you’ll be purchasing a little less from the grocery and will hopefully have enough to can or freeze for the winter. So, all year long you’re consuming a little less packaged foods and cutting down on trips to the grocery.

With everyone consuming a little less, you’ll have a little less pollution and a little less waste. One person’s garden may not make a big dent, but it does make an impact.

-You’re more self-sufficient

There’s no better feeling than dinner time coming around and you just pop outside to grab a tomato or squash for dinner. Or, in the winter, craving that home grown taste and heading to the freezer to thaw a bag of corn or okra.

Plus, in emergency situations where you may not be able to head to the grocery easily, you’ve already got a lasting supply of food. Here are some other things you should definitely have in your emergency stockpile!

-A Healthier You!

By growing your own food you’re able to control what kinds of chemicals you expose them to and therefore your body.

You’ll also have more vegetables and fruits to add to your meals every day. Many times if we’re buying from the store, especially during the off season, it can be expensive to add fresh produce to your table. But, with a garden, your family will enjoy it all season long, or longer if you have enough to store for the winter.

And, don’t underestimate the other mental and emotional health benefits working in a garden can bring! Read more about that here!

So, gardening is more than a few months of home grown goods. It’s helping you and the planet stay healthy!

If you’re still searching for the right portable building to store your supplies or grow your plants inside, then check out our Garden Shed or Lofted Barn. Both are excellent additions to any yard, whether for storage or gardening.

Want to get your kids to help out in the garden? Download our free Kid’s Gardening Guide below!