What are the economic benefits of gardening?
It is estimated that home grown produce can be 20 to 100 percent less expensive than store bought fruits and veggies. Many communities have local farmer's markets where fresh produce can be purchased for reasonable prices. For example, farmer's markets are set up in New York City on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Broadway Bites , Saturdays at The Greenmarket under the Brooklyn Bridge , Sundays at Union Square Farmer's Market .
It is also estimated that the economic benefits of growing your own vegetables can save between $20 to $50 per month. That's a lot of savings over the course of a year! Gardening also has the potential to create jobs. In 2010, The National Gardening Association reported that home gardening created more than 827,000 jobs in the United States.
By growing your own fruits and vegetables, you can reduce the amount of money you spend on groceries each month. Not only that, but you can also stock up on produce when it is in season and freeze or can it for later use. This allows you to enjoy the fruits of your labor all year long!
Another economic benefit to gardening is that you can reduce the carbon footprint. Growing your own produce requires no transportation, so you are not contributing to the carbon emissions that come with transporting food long distances. Additionally, home-grown produce does not contain any of the pesticides or herbicides that are often used in commercial agriculture. Pesticides and herbicides have been linked to a variety of health problems, so by avoiding them, you are also protecting your health.