Gardening for Nutrition

The Many Benefits of a Vegetable Garden:

There are a multitude of benefits to gardening in general: vitamin D from the sun, exercise, fresh air. But the benefits of vegetable and herb gardening can stand on their own. Besides the pride of serving your own home-grown food, you can feel secure in knowing that you’re providing sustenance your family needs. So set aside an area of your garden, gather up your vegetable gardening supplies, and start your family down a path of gardening for nutrition. Here are some healthy options you can plant right in your garden.

Radishes:

I start with radishes because I’ve rarely had any sort of trouble from them. They’re forgiving to new gardeners and delicious to pretty much everyone. They’re also powerhouses of a wealth of vitamins and minerals like vitamin B6, potassium, and folic acid, which can help prevent health problems from carpel tunnel to stroke.

Cabbage:

Easy from the ground-up, cabbage is like most vegetables in that it likes the cooler weather of late summer and autumn. Besides having the goodies of vitamin C and fiber, cabbage also has something called indole-3-carbinol, which can prevent the growth of cancer cells and help your body repair damaged DNA.

Tomatoes:

These buggers can be notoriously difficult to nurture. Even experienced gardeners may choose to purchase starter plants instead of planting seeds. But a successful crop yields tasty orbs of vitamin C and lycopene, which can prevent certain cancers.

Carrots:

Beta-carotene-rich carrots are an easier crop to help with eyesight and skin health. They tend to well in cooler weather, but they’re hardy and can make it through summer. Take care that your soil isn’t rocky if you want comelier crops (rocks can warp the root).

Kale:

Kale is an extraordinary food, containing calcium and vitamins K and C out the wazoo. Unlike most other garden inhabitants, kale actually improves after a frost, getting just a little bit sweeter. It likes moist soil, cool conditions, and can take a challenge when it comes to soil.

Red Bell Peppers

I say red because, compared to their green counterparts, red peppers have twice the vitamin C and nine times the lycopene and carotene. These might take a little more work than some of the other options on the list due to their pickiness of soil pH, but they stand summer well for cook-outs! Grilled peppers, mmm…

Snap Peas:

Delicious and a good source of both fiber and vitamin C, snap peas can take a lot of punishment. They don’t like the heat of summer much, but they do well in the cooler temperatures of fall.

Pole Beans:

One of my absolute favorites! While they need a trellis to support them, they’re a very mellow vegetable. Pick some everyday for continual harvest and for the myriad healthful perks they bring. From fiber to calcium, potassium to vitamin K, beans will be more than worth the trouble of getting a trellis for their whole-body benefits.

With an herb garden on your kitchen windowsill, you’ll be in great shape to serve up these healthy veggies you grew, yourself. Nothing could taste better!