Grow your own superfoods

Growing your own super foods at home is a great way to fuel the soul, both inside and out. Super foods are crops - fruits, grains or vegetables that have a high concentration of nutrients, anti-oxidants and minerals.

Superfoods to Grow at Home

Blueberries

• A fruit high in antioxidants, higher in fact than any other fruit or vegetable, blueberries are also a rich source of vitamin C, K1 and fibre.

• Tip: Don’t let your blueberries produce too many fruit when young. They tend to over-fruit when young, so not enough energy is put into root and branch development.

Garlic

• Used by ancient Egyptians for it's medicinal properties, garlic is rich in antioxidants, packed with vitamins B and C and improves blood pressure and cholesterol.

• Tip: This superfood is so easy to grow you don't even need a garden! Garlic is an ideal container plant and happily grows as long as it has fertile potting mix and is kept well watered throughout the warmer months.

Citrus

• Citrus are well known for being high in vitamin C, and they also assist iron absorption, aid digestion and are a good source of fibre.
• Tip: In the first year after planting your citrus, remove any fruit that sets. This allows the tree to establish itself and encourages better fruiting in the following seasons.

Spinach

• Packed full of iron, high levels of potassium and calcium; it’s a good source of fibre. It also contains beta carotene, folate (naturally occurring folic acid) and vitamin C. Spinach is also a good source of omega 3 fatty acids, which helps out those people who are not so fond of fish oil.

• Tip: Being a hardy crop it can be grown all year round.

Broccoli

• Broccoli is an excellent source of vitamin c (better than oranges) it has more vitamin A than most other foods and it also a good source of bone-building vitamin K. Plus it’s full of fibre as well. Did you know the leaves and stalks can be eaten as well? Grate or chop into salads, soups and slaws.

• Tip: Sow seeds in spring, autumn and winter, seedlings can be planted all year round.

Kale

• Is a green leafy member of the cabbage family. It is a ‘super food’ because it is high in vitamins A, K and C. On the mineral side it is a brilliant source of manganese, magnesium, and calcium. Some nutritionists say that it is almost a complete protein. It also has excellent levels of tryptophan which helps make the ‘feel good’ hormone serotonin.

• Tip: Seeds and plants can be grown all year round.

Try something different

Goji berries

• Are exceptionally high in antioxidants. They also contain high levels of beta-carotene, vitamins B1 and B2, minerals and amino acids. Widely used in traditional Chinese medicine they are reputed to strengthen the immune system, help eyesight, protect the liver and improve circulation.

• Tip: The plant forms a small shrub, plant in spring, summer or autumn and harvest berries when ripe.

Quinoa

• This ancient grain, is one of the best whole grains you can eat as its high in protein, fibre and a good source of iron. It also has high levels of zinc, vitamin E, and selenium.

• Tip: Sow seeds in spring directly in the garden, scattering them on top of the soil is fine too as they readily germinate. It is a taller crop, maturing to 90cm-110cm – so give it plenty of room. (Image: quinoa temuco)

Planting: Tips and Tricks

Choose a position in full sun in the garden to plant your super foods. The more sun your crop gets will help ensure its ability to flourish and feed you.

Prepare soil by digging in Tui Compost and Tui Super Sheep Pellets.

Nourish your plants with a good reliable fertiliser like Tui Vegetable Food or Tui Novatec Premium - these fertilisers both provide the necessary nutrients the plants need.

Sow seeds in trays of Tui Seed Raising Mix and transplant once seedlings are about finger size. Limit transplant shock and speed up the growing process by applying Tui Organic Seaweed Plant Tonic. Watch out for slugs, snails and birds, lay Tui Quash to prevent the munch bunch from attacking. And cover crops with netting while birds are hanging around.

All these crops appreciate regular and effective watering, water stress is one of the most common reasons for crop failure, too much or too little water can be fatal. Deep watering every few days is better than a light sprinkle every day. To optimise water usage, blend in Saturaid at planting time to enable the soil to hold onto more moisture.

Based on a guide by Rachel Vogan.