Mary, Mary quite contrary
How does your garden grow?
With parsley, kale, spinach, and beans!
It’s quick and easy to grow your own greens.
Growing your own garden has taken hold and is sweeping across the nation.
Throughout schoolyards, backyards, balconies, and rooftops across America, more people are getting their hands a little dirty to grow their own food.
Why grow your own?
A garden affords you the comfort of knowing where your food is coming from, saves money on grocery bills, adds instant nutrition to mealtimes, and acts as a meditative stress releaser. These are four great reasons to start growing today–green thumb not necessary.
Whether you have a big space or a small one, growing in pots or in the ground, according to Your Vegetable Gardening Helper, there are 5 steps you need to consider first:
- Space – how much room do you have and where is it located?
- Sunlight – how much light will your plants receive?
- Soil – what is the condition of your soil? You may need to work in amendments to nourish and make it workable
- Watering – plants need water; make sure you have a reliable source nearby
- Climate – knowing your geographic hardiness zone is crucial for success
The time spent growing your own garden, watching each little bud form into an edible eat, will be worth every minute as soon as your taste buds experience the fruits of your labor. Gardening is quite the adventure if you are a beginner–be aware there is a learning curve. Don’t give up just because you kill a plant or two, it happens to the best of the green-thumbers.
Here is a list of 5 simple vegetables and herbs to start with:
1. Radish
Radishes are a perfect little finger food you can enjoy in salads, on a veggie plate with hummus, or as a snack on the run. The spicy or peppery taste ranges in strength from light to fiery and depends on which variety you choose to plant.
This little red ball of fun is a cruciferous vegetable, containing a powerful phytonutrient called sulforaphane. This antioxidant triggers detoxifying enzymes in the body and for this reason, sulforaphane is being researched as a preventive for certain cancers and reducing tumors.
Radishes and their leaves are a rich source of folate, vitamin C, zinc, phosphorus, and B vitamins, not to mention they’re full of fiber and water that are both beneficial to a healthy digestive system.