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The Effects of Home Gardening

Human life on Earth is a very fragile thing. It is constantly in a battle against itself,

needing to produce enough to keep itself alive, while also making sure the production of

necessities does not cause its premature death. This can be clearly seen in the agricultural

industry, which produces the necessary food to feed many of the billions of people on Earth

while also polluting the air and ground with toxic pesticides and fertilizers that cause unnatural

imbalances in the environment. For example, when excess nitrogen from fertilizer is spread into

lakes surrounding farms, algae can grow at extremely quick rates, covering bodies of water,

blocking out sunlight, and creating dead zones that kill off any life inside them. This idea, the

fact that we humans destroy exactly what provides us with life has always fascinated me.

But even with this huge agricultural industry that we have, there are still hundreds of

millions of people in the world that do not have enough food to eat. Most of the food produced is

concentrated in first-world countries while other countries in development have shortages. Many

people wake up every day who are hungry and wonder when their next meal might be. Humans

have managed their food resources so poorly that the nutrition gap between the rich and the poor

is massive, with the upper class having more food than they could ever need, while the lower

class struggles to make it through each day.

What if there was a way to solve both of these pressing issues at once? This may sound

impossible because feeding more people would either need a major change in food distribution

or require more food production, which would lead to more pollution. But there is a simpler

solution that could not only reduce pressure on the huge agriculture industry but also allow

people to have more accessibility to fresh, healthy foods. This solution is home gardening. As

someone who loves nature and the taste of fresh-grown strawberries, gardening is something that

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has been an interest of mine since third grade. But without the time to grow a full garden at

home, I have never known if it could be a realistic alternative to buying food from mass farming

methods. Growing a garden at home is something that has the potential to take steps toward

solving both the food and climate crisis. This possibility to save the environment and help those

in need is what led me to my question: What are the physical effects of growing a home

vegetable garden?

There are many things to consider when first starting a garden, but often one of the first

things that pop into people's minds is ‘How much will I have to spend’? This short answer is:

nothing! Although this is not a complete answer, many people who start growing their own fruits

and vegetables will end up making back more money than they originally spent through savings.

Cindy Hayes, from Iowa State University, says that “Growing a garden has the potential to

reduce the amount of money spent on groceries” (Hayes). Keep in mind that Hayes uses the

word ‘potential’ because gardens can either be too small to yield a substantial amount of crops,

or not be grown properly and yield nothing. The amount of money one might save might also

vary depending on how much effort is put into the garden as well as the types of plants grown.

But generally, growing food at home reduces spending at the grocery store by lowering the

amount of produce one needs to buy. Unfortunately, not all food products can be grown at home.

For example, most grains and soy products will still need to be bought from the store, and for

home gardeners with limited space, certain vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli are just not

efficient enough when it comes to time and space to be worth growing. But the foods that can be

grown at home, such as tomatoes, can end up saving a gardener a great deal of money over time:

“...one pound of organic tomatoes from Whole Foods costs as of July 2021 $2.99, but a package

of organic, heirloom tomato seeds can yield multiple tomato plants over time, costs $3.99”

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(Knerl). Although the packet of seeds does cost a dollar more, the plants that come from those

seeds will each produce multiple pounds of fruit, and after they have fully matured, it takes very

little effort to maintain them from year to year. Of course, it will cost a bit extra to buy the proper

equipment and materials needed to plant the tomatoes, but this is a one-time purchase and the

amount one can save on fresh produce often outweighs the initial costs of the garden. One

real-world example of someone saving money through gardening comes from my mentor,

Melissa Sunbury, an avid home gardener who not only works at a plant nursery, but has also

been growing produce in her front yard for more than 7 years: “...my blueberry plants are [about]

seven years old, I bought them once and I do almost nothing. I add a little fertilizer and I

probably get [about] $100 worth of blueberries every season.” Through first-hand experience,

Melissa Sunbury is able to save money by growing blueberries which barely require any care and

are expensive to purchase from the store or farmer’s market. There are many other perennial

plants just like this, which may require some care when they are first planted, but can produce

large amounts of food each year after they mature and grow fully. One great example of a plant

that can give large returns on investment is a fruit tree. A single apple, apricot, or plum tree can

live for decades and provide much more fruit each season than a single family can usually

consume unless they preserve it by canning or dehydrating it. Plants like these are what allow

gardeners to make back the money they spent on growing their garden because, after the initial

investment, they will produce cost-saving foods for years with very minimal work required.

Home gardening can be a great way of saving money on one’s weekly grocery bill, but it

can also be a great way of helping to save the environment. When it comes to buying food, most

people have no idea of the process it takes for their cucumbers and tomatoes to go from seed, to

plant, to the local supermarket shelves. But this process is long and can be very harmful to the

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environment. Although many immediately think of cars and power production when questioned

about pollution, “Agriculture is [actually] the leading source of pollution in many countries.

Pesticides, fertilizers and other toxic farm chemicals can poison fresh water, marine ecosystems,

air and soil” (“Impact of Sustainable Agriculture…”). Many people do not realize that the way

their food is produced is one of the biggest factors in environmental destruction. It uses large

amounts of land and water, and relies upon the use of harmful fertilizers and pesticides in order

to produce massive amounts of food. These pesticides can even be dangerous enough to harm

humans. According to Jenny Tesar, author of Food and Water: Threats, Shortages and Solutions,

“45,000 people in the United States are poisoned to some degree by pesticides. Symptoms

include headaches, vomiting, skin rashes, neurological disorders and, in about 50 cases annually,

death.” Human use of pesticides is so extreme that it has started to backfire by injuring,

sickening, and sometimes even killing the people who use and are exposed to them. Yet, despite

having almost no restrictions when it comes to land destruction and spraying dangerous

chemicals all over the place, “it takes three acres of land for the industrial food system to feed

the average American for a year, compared to maybe 5% of that area—or even much less—to

feed a person for a year on a balanced diet of garden vegetables” (Fisher). This quote shows how

home gardens have the potential to be more efficient than the agricultural industry when it comes

to crop yield per square foot. This is because home gardeners can plant crops more densely and

care for each plant individually, only giving it what it needs and no more. On the other hand,

massive industrial farms are geared towards maximum production, not efficiency, meaning they

spread out their crops more and waste millions of gallons of water by using widespread watering

techniques. The inefficiency does not just stop at the growth level: “around 14 percent of food

produced is lost between harvest and retail” (“Seeking End to…”). After the produce leaves the

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farms, much of it is lost on its way to the shelves, and many retailers end up wasting large

amounts of food due to policies involving shelf life. Home gardens are the exact opposite of

these large-scale farms. A gardener is able to tailor their garden to their exact needs, meaning no

food is grown that is not used. Also, since home gardeners often manually apply resources such

as water and fertilizer, each plant gets exactly what they need and there is much less waste. This

might require a bit more work, but it is not too difficult when only producing for a few people,

and it is a way of producing food that is much more sustainable than current large-scale

practices.

Home gardens are cost-effective and environmentally sustainable, but are they able to

sustain an average person’s food needs? This question is a bit tricky because the answer is not

completely clear-cut. How well a garden can sustain someone's caloric needs depends on how

much work they are willing to put into it. During my interview with my mentor, who is also a

parent with a medium-sized garden, we talked about human sustainability and the interviewee

mentioned that “...you have to have a lot of land to really be able to make it sustainable for even

a single person but certainly a family” (Sunbury). Although they have a fairly large garden,

Sunbury is only able to replace about 15-20% of their families' diets with homegrown foods.

When looking at home gardening from this point of view, it can be looked at more as a

supplement to a normal diet, rather than something to be completely relied on. But for more

hardcore gardeners that have plenty of free time on their hands, full sustainability is a realistic

possibility. David Fischer, from Unsustainable, calculated the exact amount and types of crops

he would need to sustain himself fully for a year and attempted to be independent of the

agriculture industry: “I had harvested over a thousand pounds of vegetables, providing more than

a year’s worth of three satisfying portions of healthy food per meal, three meals a day” (Fisher).

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By using a 1400 square foot area, Fischer managed to grow enough crops to completely sustain

himself for an entire year, while still managing to eat three healthy meals a day and maintaining

the needed calorie levels. So home gardening can provide whatever it needs to provide. If a

gardener is simply trying to add an extra health option to their diet, or pick up a new pastime,

they can grow a modest garden that does not require much work. On the other hand, if someone

either wants to be completely independent of society, or they are unable to purchase all of the

foods they need to survive, they can put in the extra time and effort to maintain a full-sized

garden with a large output. Unfortunately, it is not realistic for an average person to be like this

second gardener. A full-size garden often takes a large plot of land, extra time, extra money, and

extra experience. But even if one cannot produce enough food to fully sustain themselves, a

home garden is still a great option for anyone who is looking for a healthy, fun, and

environmentally friendly hobby.

One of the largest benefits that home gardeners experience is the addition of extremely

tasty and nutritious produce. In some cases, people do not realize that their diet is lacking a

certain vitamin needed to survive, and in other cases, people do not have access to fresh fruits

and vegetables that provide them with all the necessary vitamins: “27% of the population in

developing countries … were undernourished in 1969-71” (Tesar). Since then, the population has

only been growing, and the number of malnourished people continues to rise. Also, with the

growing climate crisis, it has become increasingly difficult to produce and distribute enough food

to sustain the global population. This is where home gardening comes in. Growing food at home

not only allows for more convenient access to healthy fruits and vegetables, but “Vegetables that

ripen in the garden have more nutrients than some store-bought vegetables that must be picked

early” (Godman). These home-grown vegetables will be chock full of important life-sustaining

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vitamins such as Vitamin A and Vitamin C and carbohydrates like fiber. This means that ill-fed

people will not just have access to food, but healthy foods that help keep them alive. Home

gardening also allows for control and tracking of possibly harmful and unwanted pesticides in

your produce. When buying fresh food from the store, especially non-organic food, it is

impossible to know what went into the process of growing this food, and what might have

worked its way inside. But, home gardening “...gives you complete control over the chemicals

and products used during the growing process” (“The Advantages of Home Gardens”). By

planting, watering, and fertilizing by themselves, one is able to have ultimate authority over the

entire growing process. This means that the produce can either be 100% natural or contain

pesticides and fertilizers that were applied safely and responsibly. As Ann Corsa Cruz, my

second interviewee who has been tending to her two-acre garden for about 28 years, puts it, “It’s

not only sustainable, [but it's also] much healthier for our population” (Cruz). Cruz mentioned

that during the World War II era, the US government encouraged families to grow ‘victory

gardens’ from their yards. While these gardens did help America focus its resources on the war

efforts, they also caused an increase in extremely healthy individuals within the military

applicants. This was most likely due to an increase in the consumption of home-grown fruits and

vegetables. Produce that is grown at home is not only healthier and safer to eat, but provides a

cleaner method of growing that is much more environmentally sustainable.

Home gardening is something that is both cost-effective and environmentally sustainable.

People can save money at the supermarket by producing foods they would normally purchase,

and save the environment by being more efficient with land and water. But despite all the

benefits home gardening can provide, whether or not home gardens can provide full food

security in underdeveloped areas is still a commonly debated topic. Many say that vegetable

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gardens just can not supply the same constant and heavy flow of produce that the agricultural

industry can. A study held in South Africa found that “...despite 72% of the respondents growing

fruit or vegetables only 10% were completely food secure” (Du Toit). This study consisted of

researchers interviewing homeowners about their gardens and how much food their household

was able to eat each week. Looking at these statistics, it may seem like home gardening is not a

viable option for replacing large-scale farms. But, other than some extreme cases such as David

Fischer mentioned above, home gardening should instead be looked at as a way to supplement

growers’ diets and provide a way to save money at the grocery store. As Dilrukshi Hashini

Galhena puts it in Bio Med Central, “The most fundamental social benefit of home gardens

stems from their direct contributions to household food security by increasing availability,

accessibility, and utilization of food products.” Even if full food security is unrealistic, home

gardening can help families and individuals take a step in the right direction toward a properly

nourished life. As mentioned previously home gardening provides food that is healthier and full

of more nutrients, which is often what people need in underdeveloped areas that have less food

available. Along with partial food security, even a small garden can save money, just like Cruz

experienced at her own house: “...we started out of necessity because we had three kids [and] it

was just a money saver, right? You plant your own stuff, grow it, can it and preserve it” (Cruz).

Cruz started her garden because, with multiple children to care for, she needed extra money. By

growing her own food, Cruz has managed to save thousands on food bills year-round by canning

and preserving foods for the colder seasons. But this is another situation that not everyone could

accomplish because one needs access to a large plot of land. Even if it is very rare that a home

garden can provide complete food security, it can help someone start heading in the right

direction, and even save them money.

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Home gardening is a hobby that anyone with some time and a bit of investing money

should try. Whether one needs it to provide enhanced food security for their family, or purely for

enjoyment, home gardening can positively affect anybody's life. This effect could mean growing

enough vegetables at home to save a noticeable amount of money on routine grocery trips. This

effect could mean helping save the environment through efficient food production, proper use of

land and water, and responsible use of pesticides. This effect could mean adding increased

nutrition to unhealthy diets by augmenting them with freshly grown produce that is picked when

perfect. This effect can even sometimes mean producing all the food necessary to sustain one's

food needs, either off the grid or in a community without full food security. To me, this topic just

represents the silly dreams of a third grader wanting to grow strawberries in his backyard. But to

the world, this topic represents a solution to some of the world's most pressing issues. Home

gardens offer a solution to global food crises in both developing and developed countries,

malnutrition throughout impoverished areas, and, to an extent, global warming and

environmentally harmful farming. But despite all these incredible benefits it holds, home

gardening can just be something as simple as growing a few fruits and vegetables from a sunny

spot in your yard, and the more people that join in with the rest of the gardening community, the

sooner we can start pushing the world in the right direction. So, how can you join in?

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Works Cited

Cruz, Ann. Interview. Conducted by Spencer Johnson, April 18, 2023.

Du Toit, Marié J, et al. “Why Home Gardens Fail in Enhancing Food Security and Dietary

Diversity.” Frontiers, Frontiers, 11 Jan. 2022,

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.804523/full.

Fisher, David G. “The Efficiency of Home Gardens Compared to Industrial Farms.”

Unsustainable, 26 July 2022,

https://www.unsustainablemagazine.com/home-gardens-vs-farms-efficiency/.

Galhena, D.H., Freed, R. & Maredia, K.M. Home gardens: a promising approach to enhance

household food security and wellbeing. Agric & Food Secur 2, 8 (2013).

https://doi.org/10.1186/2048-7010-2-8

Godman, Heidi. “Backyard Gardening: Grow Your Own Food, Improve Your Health.” Harvard

Health, 30 June 2012,

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/backyard-gardening-grow-your-own-food-improve-

your-health-201206294984.

Haynes, Cindy. “Can a Vegetable Garden Save You Money?” Iowa State University Extension

and Outreach, Iowa State University,

https://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/2009/mar/060201.htm.

“Impact of Sustainable Agriculture and Farming Practices.” WWF, World Wildlife Fund,

https://www.worldwildlife.org/industries/sustainable-agriculture.

Knerl, Linsey. “The Cost Effectiveness of Growing a Garden.” Investopedia, Investopedia, 13

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July 2022,

https://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0312/the-true-cost-of-growing-a-garden.as

px.

“Seeking End to Loss and Waste of Food along Production Chain.” Food and Agriculture

Organization of the United Nations, FAO,

https://www.fao.org/in-action/seeking-end-to-loss-and-waste-of-food-along-production-

chain/en/.

Sunbury, Melissa. Interview. Conducted by Spencer Johnson, March 19, 2023.

Tesar, Jenny E. Food and Water: Threats, Shortages, and Solutions. Facts on File, 1992.

“The Advantages of Home Gardens.” Home Guides | SF Gate, SF Gate, 16 Feb. 2021,

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/advantages-home-gardens-39103.html.

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