Grow your Own Greens

Green vegetables, particularly dark leafy greens, are full of fibre, are a low calorie food and contain a veritable host of vitamins – A, C and K. They are also a good source of folate and minerals such as calcium and potassium.
Of course there are loads of ‘greens’ to choose from and many that we can easily grow.

Top of the list is the ever popular kale – touted as being a “superfood “ for some years now, it is a nutrition powerhouse containing twice the level of antioxidants existing in other leafy greens. This makes kale effective in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Bone health is boosted due to kale’s high calcium and mineral content and cholesterol levels can be lowered because of its high fibre content.

Kale is a type of cabbage in which the central leaves do not form a head and is one of the cultivars of the Brassica family, related to broccoli, cauliflower, collard and Brussels sprouts. Common varieties of kale include the Black Tuscan kale also known as Cavolo nero, a blue-green upright form now used widely in green smoothies and traditional dishes.

Red Russian kale has curly leaves which turn a rich red-purple colour when the weather cools. It is not as tall and upright as the black kale; though it still has all the health benefits and is more heat tolerant than most other varieties. Winterbor is one of the Scottish varieties, grey-green in colour and almost fluffy, it is so curly. An unusual and attractive addition to the garden and plate!

Another couple of greens to consider growing to maximise your health for the winter months are silverbeet and rainbow chard. Always handy in winter meals and relatively easy to grow, chard has colours that deepen during the cooler months, providing lovely contrasts in form and colour in your vegetable garden.
Spinach, mustard greens, mizuna, watercress plus some of the bitter greens such as raddichio and chicory are worth considering also. Of course, try the broccolis (green and purple), cauliflower and cabbage, along with the lettuces – plant some of the coloured varieties to boost the antioxidant benefits. Asian greens and herbs such as parsley and coriander are never better than in the cooler months as they resist bolting until spring comes along.

Autumn is a great time to get busy preparing the winter vegetable garden, particularly the greens section! It‘s getting a little late for those in southern areas to start from seed now, but could try starting your seeds undercover and then planting them out if you have a warm spot. Bear in mind though that we have passed the autumn equinox and the days will be shortening and the nights and soils are becoming cooler also.

Seedlings give you a head start. That said, remember too that snails and other critters can be fond of your new produce! Try and protect your new plants from marauding beasties, copper tape and snail traps for the ground attack and maybe netting for the above ground forces! The Heronswood garden team has a selection of these kales and cabbages in its winter parterre design.

We will team them with some of these vegetables mentioned above to display and paint a picture, hopefully to inspire everyone to get out and grow some of these vegetable marvels.

So whether you sneak them into your smoothies or serve them in a salad, leafy greens boast loads of health benefits that warrant you growing at least a pot or two at your back door for the winter.