Why do we garden? Why do you garden? Since we’ve started Hoss, our mission has ALWAYS been “We Help You Grow Your Own Food” and that will never change. When we first started our Row By Row Garden Show we shared our Top 4 Reasons why we garden. Do you think they’ve changed since 2015? Let’s find out the Top 4 reasons why Greg and Sheila like to grow their own food! Let’s Grow Together!

Back in 2015 on our Row By Row Show we shared our top 4 reasons of why we garden, first, it is to know what is in our food. Nice good, clean and healthy food straight to our table. Secondly, the taste straight from the garden is so much better than store bought; better quality and a lot more nutrients coming from your backyard grocery store. Third, passing your skills down to the next generation is SO important. You prevent the loss of certain gardening skills and you reinstall that skill set into the next generation and hopefully many generations to come. Last but definitely not least, self-satisfaction; we know we’re not the only ones who get a HUGE sense of accomplishment when we harvest what we’ve grown from seed. It’s a great feeling!

1. Greg’s number one reason was to learn the skill-set! I’ve always been amazing at the skill set needed to grow a nice garden and grow their own food!
   
2. Self sufficiency is a huge thing for me, then and now! It may sound cliche but you never know when you’re going to need it.
   
3. Enjoyment, I’ve always enjoyed being out in the garden. When you enjoy a hobby, you go at it with enjoyment. It’s also my happy place, solitude is what I find in the garden.
   
4. Cleanliness of food, knowing what’s on your food and in your food is VERY important to me. Knowing how they’re harvested is a good thing to know as well.
   

1. Taste of fresh vegetables, the flavor. I know what the input is. I know that it is going to taste good, unlike the taste from grocery store. If you know you know.  Unless you have that homegrown tomato picked from your garden, ripen by the sunshine, picked in the heat of summer and tasted the concentrated sugars, you have never eaten a true tomato.
   
2. Garden Community.  It is fun to share knowledge, successes, failures. Comradery around the love of the garden. A hobby that is entertaining, growing, enriching and very rewarding.
   
3. Positive effects on our physical, mental and social well-being. Increase levels of physical activity through planting, watering, walking, maintaining. Gardening can help keep you mentally active, always providing opportunities to gain new knowledge. Gardening can reduce depression and stress. Increase feelings of hope and achievement. “I grew this”.
   
4. Food Security, Covid changed this experience. Supply chain issues, Food cost. Gardening is a process.  You can’t wait till an emergency to start. You need to start now to be prepared for an emergency. When you can afford to make mistakes and have time to learn.  Just start something. Then learn how to preserve it to enjoy all year long. Then learn how to preserve it to enjoy all year long.
   

PREMIUM GARDEN SEEDS