In my country, the cost of living continues to rise, and many of us are feeling the harsh pinch. Sometimes, I wonder how many people have lost their lives due to starvation over the past few years. All aspects; educational, political, and agricultural sectors, along with others, are in shambles. Sadly, no one is doing anything about it. One of the areas that has been on a consistent rise is the price of food products. Staple items like fresh products are becoming increasingly expensive as the day passes. The price of products one decade ago is now three times the price, the worst part is that the quantity has also reduced. A decade ago, the cost of an egg was $25. Today, an egg costs $250, which is 10 times the prize. Other fresh produce like peppers, tomatoes, yam, and so on, have also become increasingly expensive.
In a country where the prices literally increase from time to time, there is a way to stay under the shade and not get too affected. You can control the food costs by growing your own healthy and fresh produce. One of the reasons people don’t grow crops by themselves is because they have the wrong ideas about it. They view things from a perspective- inside the box. You need to think outside the box. Many people think you need a big piece of land to start farming or gardening. However, you can do that just with a small space as long as you have the right resources.
I understand that growing crops can be stressful and demanding, but you don’t necessarily have to be a big-time farmer. You don’t necessarily have to grow farm produce like yam, beans, or rice before you can beat your chest and boldly say “I have cheated the system by growing farm produce thereby reducing the price of food costs.” You can start and stick with just tomatoes and peppers. There's a satisfactory sensation that comes with harvesting tomatoes and peppers from your garden rather than buying them in the market. The most reasonable reason why I think people choose not to grow farm produce is the lack of land. However, this has also been sorted. You could grow crops like tomatoes and peppers in small nylons, providing that you fill them with the right soil, and give them the right resources (water and sunlight) when needed.
I've come a long way in growing tomatoes and peppers in my own home. I beat my chest, raise my voice above the sky, and boldly say that I'm proud of how far I have come. Why do I need to rush off to the market when I can just go to my backyard and take whatever I want? Growing your own food can be super stressful, especially if you're new to gardening, but with a little effort here and there, you can enjoy fresh homegrown tomatoes and peppers in no time.
The images above are pictures of my tomatoes and peppers. The truth is that I didn't directly plant those. I didn't dig up the soil one day and planted the seeds. The tomatoes and peppers grew because we had been pouring the seeds on that land. This is proof that nature is beautiful and blessed. It blesses us with gifts. Just throw a seed into the land and before you know it, it starts sprouting. It was when my tomatoes and peppers sprouted that I decided to start growing them. The first thing I did was to provide cover to prevent animals or kids from trampling on it. In no time, the tomatoes and peppers grew rapidly, bearing fruits and becoming bigger.
This is an image of the coconut tree I planted in my backyard.
Of course, I still need to go to the market to get a lot of farm produce, but this goes a long way in saving me some money. The most important thing to take note of is that you don’t necessarily need to start gardening on a big life of land. You can start somewhere.
Please note: All images in this post are mine, otherwise stated.
Thanks for reading.
