Arnold Kuntz Ph D

Complete Guide to Fruit Gardening Arnold Kuntz Ph D

Growing fruits and vegetables seems overwhelming to most people, but it's actually much simpler than it sounds. (Plus, you don't have to trade in your suburban or urban lifestyle in the name of self-sufficiency or savings.) All you need is a few square feet of the great outdoors, a water source, and a little time. Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables is one of the most important things you and your family can do to stay healthy. When they're growing in your backyard, you won't be able to resist them, and their vitamin content will be at their highest levels as you bite into them straight from the garden. Parents, take note: A study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that preschool children who were almost always served homegrown produce were more than twice as likely to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day-and to like them more-than kids who rarely or never ate homegrown produce. Your grocery bill will shrink as you begin to stock your pantry with fresh produce from your backyard. A packet of seeds can cost less than a dollar, and if you buy heirloom, non-hybrid species, you can save the seeds from the best producers, dry them and use them next year. If you learn to dry, can or otherwise preserve your summer or fall harvest, you'll be able to feed yourself even when the growing season is over. Fruit and vegetable gardening helps the planet in many ways. If you grow your food organically, without pesticides and herbicides, you'll spare the earth the burden of unnecessary air and water pollution, for example. You'll also reduce the use of fossil fuels and the resulting pollution that comes from the transport of fresh produce from all over the world (in planes and refrigerated trucks) to your supermarket.