'Demonstrated cost savings': From saving money to improving health, how gardening can help improve life

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With the price of food continuing to impact people's wallets, gardening may be the solution to saving some money.

Leslie Redmond, an assistant professor in the faculty of agricultural and food sciences at the University of Manitoba, said there are many benefits to learning to garden: from saving money to eating healthier.

"There has been a lot of research done around the world, including in Canada, to document the benefits of home gardens," said Redmond. "There is a lot of evidence to show that (for) people who have home gardens … there are demonstrated cost savings. Some studies (show) up to $100 per month saved at the grocery store.

"We also see benefits such as increased consumption of fruits and vegetables. So some of that we're looking at, are people getting closer to what's recommended by health organizations and through the government. And we've seen that, yes, through home gardens, sometimes people are able to increase their fruit and vegetable intake closer to those recommendations."

She added when people start supplementing their diet with food from the garden, not only does it benefit them, it can have a more positive impact on the environment as a whole.

"We're not looking at emissions from transport of that fresh produce from who knows how many miles away to get into our local grocery store … there's quite a bit of carbon footprint involved with the food system in that regard. So the closer to home it is, the better that will be as far as reducing that impact on our emissions."

Growing veggies at home also allows people to control what goes on them, Redmond said, meaning people don't need to worry about pesticides or other chemicals that could be sprayed on the plant.

WHEN IS THE TIME TO START PREPARING YOUR GARDEN?

Jordan Hiebert, the president of Lacoste Garden Centre, said now is the time to start buying supplies and getting ready to start some plants indoors.

"Depending on the plant, let's just pick something here. So tomatoes right, very common (plant), when you're going to want to start seeding that indoors is going to be the beginning of March," said Hiebert.

Other vegetables that can start around the same time are peppers, onions, leeks and asparagus. Hiebert said people can also start strawberries if they want to grow them from a seed instead of buying a bundle in the store.

He said other veggies can start in mid-March or even the beginning of April, noting people don't want the plants to grow too fast.

"The challenge some people would have by starting something indoors too early is they won't step it up fast enough for the size of the plant that it is," he said. "If you started, let's say, in a little cell pack and then you don't transplant into a four-inch or six-inch pot, it can get pretty leggy indoors."

He said this can lead to plants falling over and may even require people to start again from scratch.

Susan Jensen Stubbe, the owner of Jensen Nursery and Garden Center, also noted that if plants are started indoors too early, the weather outside might not be ready for them.

"I'm just watching our frost in the early spring," said Jensen Stubbe. "Everybody wants to put their plants out but we can always have that … little bit of frost that usually gets us all the time."

Hiebert said most people know that spring and summer fly by in Manitoba and this means not many growing days.

When starting the growing process indoors, he said the growing season is extended.

"When you look at a seed pack, it'll say days to harvest. You'll know we don't typically have the same benefit you get in say, B.C. or southern Ontario. Kind of a rule of thumb we have is 120 (growing) days," he said. "So the benefit of starting indoors is that you're getting a chance to have fruit, to actually see it to harvest."

GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS

For those who have never tried their hand at gardening, both Jensen Stubbe and Hiebert said people don't need a lot to get started.

Hiebert said there are plenty of supplies people can buy, but if they want to start basic, all they need are seeds, seed pods and larger pots, potting soil and a room full of light. If people are willing to spend a bit more money, he recommends grow lights and heat pads as well.

As for what to grow, Jensen Stubbe there are a variety of veggies that are easy to start.

"Beans are really easy; carrots, cabbages are easy; peppers and tomatoes are pretty easy as well," said Jensen Stubbe.

Herbs are also recommended for beginners, as they are easy to tend to and can help build people's confidence in the garden.

Once people get the hang of their garden, Redmond and Jensen Stubbe said there is a mental health benefit as well.

"There's a lot of community garden opportunities in Winnipeg and community gardens also provide that socialization aspect that can be really important," said Redmond.

"We actually find it really therapeutic, just watching the plants grow and seeing them from day to day. It kind of gives you that boost, especially when we've been looking at nothing but snow for the last couple of months," Jensen Stubbe said. "It's a good mood booster."