By Jin Huang Guan
Contributing Author
It was a great day when I discovered that I could stuff eight mini tomatoes in my mouth, but it turned not-so-great when my mom scolded me harshly because there were only a dozen tomatoes in the pack my mom bought from the grocery store. For reference, there are five people in my family. The following year, we planted tomatoes in our yard. And can you guess what happened? Yup, my sisters and I feasted upon tomatoes until our stomachs became tomatoes too.
Ever since my parents and I started creating a garden filled with fruits and vegetables, our grocery expenses have been getting lower and lower. Even my sister, who never eats her greens, started to eat the vegetables from our garden. So, I decided to make a list of the five easiest-to-grow, multiple-beneficial, and delicious plants to cultivate in your backyard.
Aloe Vera
It’s a sin if you don’t know about this superhero succulent. Its list of benefits goes on for miles. It can heal minor wounds and burns, lower cholesterol, improve skin conditions, and much more. One of the few cons of eating aloe vera is that you can have diarrhea if you consume too much due to a laxative that can also help with excretion. If you’re on any medication, consult your doctor first before consuming aloe vera. It’s also very easy to grow as it belongs to the same family as cacti, and it can grow even in the driest conditions. Here is a link for growing aloe vera: Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Growing Your Own Aloe Vera (globalhealing.com)
2. Tomatoes
Not only are tomatoes delicious, they also have many health benefits. They’re rich in vitamins and minerals, can help prevent several types of cancer, and are a great source of antioxidants. There are almost no disadvantages to growing or eating tomatoes. Canned tomatoes have a ton of salt added, and tomato packs are expensive while they do not contain many tomatoes. Organic tomatoes taste better, are easy to plant, and you’ll never get tired of them! Each plant can produce about 10 tomatoes every day. In our garden, we have about 10 plants, and this is how many we got in a day. We ate them all in 2 days.
Here is an excellent source on growing tomatoes: Growing Tomatoes: How to Plant and Care for Tomatoes | The Home Depot Canada
3. Beans
To be honest, I used to hate eating beans. I would always give them to my sisters or throw them in the compost. No matter how much salt I used, the beans from the grocery store were just so bland. Then my mom planted bean seedlings, and after a month of hard work, I ate beans. Beans can boost the immune system, protect against Alzheimer’s, and prevent diabetes. It can be a little frustrating to grow beans. Once you sow the seeds into the ground, the next day you will see sprouts, but it will be quite a long time before you can eat the produce.
Here is a link for growing beans: How To Grow Beans – McKenzie Seeds
4. Lettuce
I don’t think lettuce can ever taste good by itself. Even the fresh-picked lettuce in my yard is bland without peanut butter and mustard. But the lettuce is a lot fresher and more tender than rotten, bug-chewed lettuce from the supermarket. Lettuce helps with insomnia, digestion, controls inflammation, and is high in vitamin A and C.
Here is a link for growing lettuce: Lettuce: Plant Care & Growing Guide (thespruce.com)
Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed in the blog posts are those of the contributing author. Rising Sun Food Drive Foundation makes every effort to provide space for young people to advocate and voice their thoughts, research, opinions and ideas that are inspired by our mission but may not reflect on the organization's services and operations.
コメント