Some people are growing their own food as a result of measures surrounding the pandemic, but have you considered the many benefits of home gardening?

Whether you understand the importance of food security or you’re looking for something to productively occupy your extra time, get out into the sunshine and soak in some Vitamin D while lessening your food bill in the process.

Denisha Jones-Williams, Technical Field Officer at the Division of Food Production, Forestry and Fisheries (DFPFF), is encouraging residents to grow their own food.

“Home gardening enhances the use of yard space, ensures healthy living, encourages the use of local commodities, increases food production, improves food security throughout the island, and boosts biodiversity conservation. It also helps with financial stability and sustainability as some home gardeners even sell in the market, earning an income while making it accessible to others,” she said.

Jones-Williams further stated that cultivating a home garden doesn’t have to be time-consuming.

“The time it takes depends on yard space and the production system. If you’re doing it the conventional way, where you’re using plots on the ground, it takes a longer time, compared to planting in a container like a pot. Root crops, however, must have containers with depth.”

Jones-Williams said it’s also a great move to grow your own herbs.

“Herbs are beneficial to your health, so we encourage persons to create a herb garden – that’s your chive, celery, parsley, basil, lemon balm, dill etc.,” she added.

Learn more about home gardening through a series of videos on the DFPFF Facebook page.