It was a glorious moment when I discovered Life on the Balcony. Because, dear friends, I am attempting my very first container garden this spring. What inspired me you ask? Tomatoes. Beautiful, wonderful, out-of-this-universe delicious heirloom tomatoes. (When they show up at the farmer's market I manage to eat caprese salad almost every day - but more on that later).
I had the pleasure of chatting with Fern Richardson over email about the nasty white flies that have been killing all my herbs. (The nerve!) She is a pleasure.
A few small containers on your balcony or a sizable plot of soil in the backyard, the concept of growing your own food runs much deeper. Yes it's convenient and their bounties are truly gratifying but I've dug up just a few of many reasons:
Environment - less food has to be shipped from far away, which reduces our dependency on foreign oil.
Taste - anything you grown yourself will taste infinitely better than something that's been picked before ripening and shipped around the globe.
Price - a packet of lettuce seeds costs less than a head of lettuce, a tomato plant costs less than two tomatoes.
Health - control how you grow and what you grow. Who knows what kind of cancer-causing pesticides, waxes, and synthetic food coloring you're eating otherwise.
Food Safety - with food recalls happening faster than we can count, growing your own food eliminates the worry.
Exercise and well being - planting, harvesting, and caring for your crops puts you in fresh air and centers your mind. Let your hands do what they're actually meant for!
Waste - Plant what you need. It's easier to throw out a moldy orange you bought at the super market for a few measly cents than your beloved strawberry you patiently spent months watching over.
