There's something about growing up in the city that feels sort of artificial, or unnatural if I may say so. This sensation becomes glaring when I visit a rural area or village where the lush greenery is in full bloom. The atmosphere is refreshing and the air is clean, and as such, I dream about surrounding my residence someday with trees, lots of them and of course, a garden!
Ms @kerrislravenhill reminds me of this promise I made to myself a while ago with this interesting question of the week—
My great-grandparents and extended family were farmers which means we often visited them during the summer holidays and that's where my dream was born. My city is a bustling place with many factories and industries around. The downsides of this are the traffic, noise and air pollution. But if a person is surrounded by greenery, it will be a mini paradise.
Many people nurture the same dream of having their own garden mostly to grow their own food rather than relying on processed foods that have become commonplace in modern society.
Gone are those days when people were crazy about junk or processed food. Now, most people are knowledgeable about the damaging effects of these foods on health. Everyone is aware of this and favours organic foods and produce, or in the alternative, growing their own. This journey can begin with minimal effort like using a garden pot or bed. This is what I've done.
There are commercial gardens around Lagos city where seeds, seedlings, flowers and plants are sold in large quantities for small and big scale farmers or gardeners. I visited one of such gardens recently to look at their seedlings as I wanted to purchase mint leaf seedlings.
When I started my tiny-scale gardening, I focused mainly on vegetables like pepper, tomatoes and greens. These are veggies I use mostly for soup while I purchase other foods from the market. Recently, I've expanded my tiny pots to include some herbs as I'm learning about their uses and benefits to the human body.
I wish I had more space that I can turn into a full garden or possibly large-scale farming to grow my own food. While doing this, I'll want to concentrate on making my foods organic so I can rely less on processed food and not spend a ton of money buying them from the market. I think they call this homesteading or so.
Some people I know purchased lands in rural places outside the city and used them for large-scale farming, which is a great idea but it's a full-time job. I may not have the time for this.
If I had my own little paradise, I would grow mostly organic vegetables, foods, and herbs. The craze about processed foods will only get worse over the years. I read somewhere that soon processed meat will be produced via 3D printers because the printing method involves the use of stem cells derived from animals. This sounds crazy but it may be true. I wouldn't want to wait until such a time to decide how best to live healthy. So I'll start now.
Our world is changing and many people are returning to living naturally. Health is everything and to give our bodies the best care, we must start with our foods and ensure they are organically grown. Anything contrary just messes with our health and of course, DNA but most people don't know this.
What do you think—start a garden and grow food or not? This is my entry to the Ladies Of Hive Community Contest #180. You may click on the link to participate.
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All images are mine, taken with my mobile