Gardening is a simple undertaking that makes a huge impact on humans’ well-being, all while minimizing our impact on the environment. 

But if your dream plot is clean, manageable, and bursting with fresh produce, you may want to consider trading up your traditional outdoor bed for a Gardyn, an indoor growing system that provides nutrient-rich produce, all while saving you money and reducing your food and water waste.

Regardless of your approach, learning to grow fruits and vegetables from seed to sprout is an enriching way to tend to your health and that of the planet.

Need more motivation? Here are four reasons to start growing your own food today. 

4 Reasons to Grow Your Own Food

1. Reduced Water Use

According to the EPA, 30% of our overall water use is directed toward outdoor purposes, from landscaping to gardening—and up to 50% of that water is wasted. Growing your own food indoors with a system like the Gardyn Home Kit requires up to 95% less water, preserving this valuable resource.

2. No Pesticides

Pesticides—particularly those found on the EWG’s ‘Dirty Dozen’—can persist even after produce is washed. Cultivating your own fruits and vegetables gives you full control over the chemicals used (or rather, not used), leading to a purer plate while lessening your environmental footprint.

3. Less Food Waste

Growing a garden (or a Gardyn!) allows you to plant only what you and your family need, when you need it, reducing food waste without sacrificing taste—and considering the more than 70 billion pounds of food waste that enters the landfill every year, that’s an important seed to plant.

4. Fewer Emissions

In addition to saving you money, growing fruits and vegetables at home reduces the emissions caused by trips to and from the grocery store, along with the food’s actual production and transport (aka food mileage).

Learning to grow your own garden is an empowering step that can lead to shifts toward sustainability in other areas of your life, too.