A homeowner has provided plenty of gardening inspiration after sharing stunning before-and-after images of their yard.
"These pics are about three years apart," the homeowner wrote on Reddit in the r/gardening community. "We went from no raised beds, to four, to eight, now 12. I don't let them go to waste and happily feed my family from this."
The before photo shows a yard that seemingly has seen better days. Large portions of the traditional grass lawn are a drab brown.
The after photo, on the other hand, demonstrates how some adjustments can transform a dull area into a lively space, and a variety of fruits and veggies are thriving.
"I live for before and after pics of garden growth," one Redditor wrote. "Love your raised beds. This clearly was a TON of work and a huge labor of love."
The original poster undertook a larger project to scale up their space. However, you can grow your own food without doing a total overhaul — and still enjoy the benefits of doing so.
Another homeowner, for example, installed raised beds by modernizing a small area that had a worn-down picket fence.
And while not everybody has large amounts of space for raised beds, there are products like mason jar herb gardens for people who want to begin the gardening journey.
Stress relief, exercise, and saving thousands on produce over a 10-year span are among the potential perks, along with a reduction in pollution linked to the overheating of our planet.
In fact, a study published by the journal Nature found that transporting ingredients and food products generates almost one-fifth of all carbon pollution from the food system, with the movement of fruits and vegetables being "particularly emissions-intensive" if refrigerated trucks are used.
Other Redditors were seriously impressed by the OP's yard transformation.
"Awesome glow up!" one person wrote.
"Amazing!!! Yards with gardens always look 100% better!!!" another person said. "I wish everyone grew a little bit of their own food so we wouldn't have to depend so heavily on the grocery store."
"Just Wow. … You have inspired me," someone else shared.
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