Have you tried home gardening as yet? Home gardening comes with many benefits such as, it enables you to spend time outdoors; can reduce stress and allows you to save money. The Division of Food Production, Forestry and Fisheries (DFPFF) continues to encourage the island’s residents to produce their own food.

DFPFF Technical Field Officer Denisha Jones-Williams said that it also increases the island’s food security and does not have to be a time-consuming process.

“Home gardeners don’t have to spend as much money on a grocery bill and once they grow a variety of things, it ensures that their home has food. It provides them with a level of sustainability and some even sell in the market, earning an income while making it accessible to others,” she said.

Here are three home gardening tips from Jones-Williams that you can use if you plan to start growing your own food:

1. Plants need at least six hours of sunlight to grow properly.
2. It’s best to water plants in the morning in order to get rid of the excess water so that you don’t create an environment that’s favourable for pests and disease build-up. Watering your plants in the evening or at night may leave them soaked in water for hours at a time, which can lead to problems such as fungi growth.
3. Maintaining proper sanitary practices in your home garden is critical for your plants to thrive. This includes cleaning the tools that you’re using in the garden, removing diseased leaves, plants and other unwanted materials from the garden, and harvesting your food when it is ripe and ready for picking to avoid the spread of pests.

You can start a home garden today and become a full participant in the quality of food that you and your household consume.