“When I put my hands in the earth and see my vegetables grow, I have the feeling of reconnecting with my roots, of reproducing ancestral gestures, and that brings me calm and happiness”, confides Aude, 40, who works in an office and lives in the Parisian suburbs. The pride in consuming your produce, harvested ripe and therefore tastier, also leads to consuming more of these healthy foods. Not to mention the savings: “A bag of lettuce seeds costs on average € 2.50 and contains 1,500 seeds”, recalls Brigitte Lapouge, author of “I succeed my plants the first time!” »(Ed. Terre Vivante, € 14).
You don’t need years of study to get started. Violetta Egon advises to choose a very small area to start, if possible near the house to monitor it daily. Then mix the species (depending on the year, one is more successful than the other), just like vegetables and flowers, which makes them more resistant. Other recommendations: water moderately – you stick a finger in the soil and, when it’s dry, you have to water – and trust yourself.
Are “homemade” vegetables really healthier?
From the outset, we will find them better to taste. And it’s not just an illusion! Grown without pesticides of course, picked “just right” and consumed immediately, they are undoubtedly richer in nutrients of quality, minerals, vitamins and antioxidants (in 5 days in the refrigerator, a green salad has already lost the vast majority, and 48 hours after its picking, a broccoli contains only half of its vitamin C). An American study a few years ago concluded that, for your health, you had to consume seasonal vegetables produced on the land where you lived. We cannot consume more local and seasonal! Whereas before arriving on the supermarket shelves, each food item has traveled an average of more than 2,000 kilometers. In addition, its variety has often been chosen based on its storage capacity and not its taste qualities … of which it loses a large part anyway when refrigerated.
What if we don’t have a green thumb?
” It does not exist ! says Brigitte Lapouge. Children all have green fingers. Everything starts from desire: if this activity pleases, we will pay a minimum of attention to its plant, we will think about it and take care of it. “What the psychoanalyst Annie Alibert confirms:” You have to feel what a plant needs to flourish well, if it is thirsty or in need of shade. Just as the mother empathizes with the child, guess when he is hungry or thirsty. »To grow, see grow … The parallel with mothering is eloquent. To have a green thumb, all you have to do is observe and question yourself.