Grow the healthiest and most nutritious vegetables in your garden
What are the healthiest vegetables? If you've already decided to form your garden, why not choose the most nutrient-dense varieties?
When it comes to growing our future food, we often think about how often and how much we can harvest. This is logical, however, the nutritional value of homemade vegetables and fruits should be put first. At the end of the day, getting wholesome foods is the top priority.
Ideally, the recommended crops in the garden are divided into three types: one-third are greens, one-third are colored vegetables such as carrots or sweet potatoes, and the last is sulfur-rich foods (such as cabbage or onions).
In this combination, vegetables have the maximum composition of nutrients, 17 of which are essential for human health. Potassium, calcium, vitamins B12, A and D are the most important ones.
An example of a small vegetable garden with useful beds
This vegetable garden will require two parallel raised beds, divided into 8 sections, to accommodate all the vegetables according to the following planting plan:
- Early spinach and then cauliflower (after spinach harvest).
- Leeks planted with carrots.
- Endive combined with cabbage.
- Onions and then turnips (after the onions are harvested).
- Broccoli with kale.
- Chinese cabbage planted with Swiss chard (a type of beet).
- Beets, and after harvesting, butternut squash is planted.
- Watercress, followed by a second crop of spinach.
It should be borne in mind that there is a significant difference in the content of vitamins and minerals in a product depending on the conditions under which it was grown. The less fertility of the soil, the less nutrients in vegetables. For this reason, it is important to avoid pesticides - first, they enter the soil in which microorganisms live. They carry impurities into plants, the fruits of which are consumed by humans. Thus, the toxins enter the body.
If the soil is rich in minerals, then it is populated with active microbes that ensure a healthy harvest.
Remember, too, that large carrots don't mean they are better. She is too dependent on fertilizers, which can lead to depletion of the soil and, as a result, there will be less nutrients in the fruit.
After the beds are planted, pay attention to any abnormalities in the condition of the plants to determine the cause of the possible disease. Watch for things like wilting foliage, rust or powdery mildew, insect-damaged leaves, or signs of pests that have settled around the roots of planted crops.
Thus, by monitoring the condition of your beds on a daily basis, you can prevent the problem, instead of fixing it. It always comes easier.
Now is the time to start further creating your garden. When browsing seed catalogs, always pay attention to the nutritional value. Think not only about how much you harvest, but also about the benefits of each individual product.