10 Benefits of Growing Your Own Food in a Polytunnel
When people think about the benefits of growing food in a polytunnel, the first thing that often comes to mind is cost savings. But the true rewards of tunnel growing go much deeper. From better mental health and stronger family bonds to fresher food and a lighter footprint on the planet, polytunnels deliver lifestyle benefits that money can’t buy. Whether you’re a backyard grower or a small-scale farmer, here are 10 reasons why investing in a polytunnel can transform your health, wellbeing, and community.
1. A natural stress reliever & mood booster
Gardening has been proven to reduce anxiety, depression, and feelings of isolation. A meta-analysis across 22 studies found that horticultural activities deliver significant gains in wellbeing and quality of life (1). Additionally, regular gardening has therapeutic benefits for people with dementia (2), improves sleep quality (3), and boosts mood through raised dopamine and serotonin levels.
2. Functional exercise you actually enjoy
Polytunnel gardening incorporates bending, lifting, squatting, and walking—low-impact activity with real-world benefits. Even moderate gardening delivers cardiovascular advantages, reducing risk of heart attack and stroke and improving longevity. A 2022 study found that gardening helped reduce risk of diabetes, improved cardiovascular health in non-exercisers ages 65+, and reduced mortality risk by 10 years (4).
3. Stronger family ties & educational opportunities
Gardens are living classrooms (in fact many schools are embracing them as exactly that!). Family gardening fosters teamwork, teaches responsibility, and connects kids to healthy foods. Research highlights how growing your own produce can encourage better eating habits—children who garden are more inclined to try new vegetables and actually enjoy them (5). Positive emotional bonds and memories are built along the way.
4. Joy & satisfaction far beyond the supermarket
While the supermarket can zap our energy, there’s a satisfying dopamine hit in harvesting and tasting your own produce—something store-bought food could never replicate. That sense of achievement and hands-on connection to food is deeply rewarding and rooted in real effort. Science calls this a dopamine hit, but we refer to it as the harvesting high. Bringing us back to our hunter-gatherer roots, every time you pluck some beans from the stalk, or sneak a sweet strawberry (or three), your body releases the hormone dopamine, signifying the ‘reward’ of harvesting something you’ve grown. As an added bonus, you can get this dopamine just from seeing the fresh produce (6). So next time you’re feeling a bit down, head on out to your garden tunnel and explore what’s growing.
5. Freshest, most nutrient-rich produce—every time
Now it’s obvious that home-harvested fruit and veg is fresher than what travels from farm, to wholesaler, to the store, to your door. But did you know that by the time your produce makes it into your trolley, it’s already losing nutrients – and fast! Nutrients degrade rapidly post-harvest.
But it’s not just the time from farm-to-store that is causing nutrient losses. The longer that food sits in your fridge, the less benefit it’s doing your body. A 2024 study found that green beans stored at 4°C lose up to 77% of their Vitamin C after just 7 days (7). Antioxidants, Vitamin A, flavonoids and other essential nutrients all begin to deteriorate post-harvesting.
Eating straight from your tunnel ensures top-tier flavour, maximum mineral content, and vitality.
6. A greener footprint—zero food miles, zero packaging.
Growing at home eliminates transportation emissions—no trucks, no planes, no packing. It's a powerful way to reduce carbon footprint and support sustainable living. Whilst many focus on the meat-industry when it comes to food miles and carbon emissions, fruit and vegetables contribute over one-third of global food miles emissions (8). So, next time you reach for that garlic from Mexico, ask yourself ‘how easy would this be for me to grow?’.
Furthermore, tunnel-grown produce comes without plastic wrap, stickers, or boxes. You harvest it, bring it home, and enjoy it—no single-use packaging needed. A small step, to make a big difference.
7. Enjoy the benefits of organic produce
With a polytunnel, you control what touches your soil and plants. You can eliminate synthetic chemicals entirely, ensuring clean, trust-worthy produce. Over 60% of Aussie households now purchase organic food, drawn by its chemical-free promise and environmental benefits. Not only can organic produce benefit the environment, it also has health benefits such as higher vitamin C levels, less detriment to healthy gut bacteria and more minerals such as phosphorus, magnesium and iron (9).
8. Reduce food waste
According to End Food Waste Australia, we’re throwing away $2,500 worth of food each year per household. This doesn’t even cover the food waste that happens as part of the supply chain, which can total around 49% before it even makes it home to your fridge (10).
9. Protection against grocery instability
In 2025, Australian four-person households spend an average of $240 per week on groceries, or over $12,480 annually, an extra 11% compared to 2024 (11). With supply chain disruptions still a real risk—think floods, fires, extreme weather or lockdowns—tunnels empower households to take back control over their food supply and reduce costs at the checkout.
10. Community building through surplus sharing
In 2024, 32% of Australian households experienced food insecurity, with 2 million of these experiencing extreme food insecurity resulting in skipping meals, or days without eating (12). Too Got too many zucchinis? Swap them with neighbors, share herbs, or build connections through produce. It's a social—and resourceful—way to reduce waste and strengthen local bonds. A surplus in your garden could just be what your neighbour needs to get them through a hard time.
From mental and physical health to ecological responsibility and family legacy, polytunnels provide a wealth of benefits well beyond cost savings. In a world where well-being, resilience, and quality matters. By protecting your produce with a polytunnel, you can ensure that you’re getting maximum benefits from the efforts you put into building your home-grown garden.
