If you are a homesteader, you’d want to make the most use of your land in order to maximize your resources. This includes standing sources of water. Small ponds can help supplement your food production when you use them to grow your own edible water garden. Here are a few other advantages you can gain from planting an edible water garden in your homestead. (h/t to PreppersWill.com).

You can grow a wide range of aquatic plants

Many aquatic and wetland plants, such as wild rice, taro, lotus flower, and water spinach, are excellent sources of nutrition that cannot be grown on dry soil. More than that, depending on the structure of your pond, you can place a diverse variety of plants in the different planting zones of your water garden. For example, you can grow yacon, malanga, and ground nut on the shallow and muddy areas along the edge of your pond. If you have an area with access to running water, you can try your hand at growing watercress. With an edible water garden, you can diversify your diet by adding a selection of aquatic vegetables to your kitchen table.

An edible water garden can help you save time and money

If you ever get tired of eating soil-grown vegetables, why go to a grocery store to spend money on other food options when you can just pick fresh aquatic vegetables right out of your garden? Not only will you have to spend money for the grocery shopping itself, but you will likely have to pay for the trip to the store as well. With a water garden just outside your door, you can prepare your food in minutes, rather than going on a time-consuming trip to the grocery store. As an added bonus, you can even make a profit from selling your aquatic produce. There will likely be a high demand for these vegetables, especially if no one else is growing them in your area. (Related: Compare and contrast: Just how much money can be saved by growing your own food as opposed to buying from the supermarket?)

Having an edible water garden lets you control what you eat

You can be sure that the vegetables on your dinner plate are always clean, organic, and free from pesticides or other chemicals when you get to personally grow these vegetables yourself. You won’t have the same guarantee if you get your greens from other sources. By growing your own crops, you won’t even have to be limited by the options available on the market. As long as you can grow it, you get to decide what you and your family consume. Furthermore, some small children may be finicky about the food they eat, especially when it comes to vegetables. If you happen to have children with the same picky tastes, allowing them the chance to grow their own food might get them more invested in eating their veggies.

An edible water garden is good for your body and soul

The tranquil and calming waters of your water garden can bring you a sense of inner peace that is unique from the feeling that you get when you look at a garden of tilled soil. Ponds are great places to meditate by, and edible water gardens should be no exception. This also gives you an added reason to remain outdoors, reconnect with nature, and soak up your daily dose of sunshine. If you can meditate near your water garden, then you can just as easily do yoga or other gentle exercises near this serene environment.

Learn what other sustainable features you can add to add to your homestead by going to Homesteading.news.

Sources include:

PreppersWill.com

TheSurvivalGardener.com

TheEcologyCenter.org