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Photo: Southern Foodways Alliance / Flickr

So, you’ve gone to the local nursery and picked up some soil, a couple of ceramic containers if you want an indoor garden, and your very first trowel. You know exactly where the sunniest spot in your apartment or garden is. You’ve read books, a couple of blogs and you’ve watched a couple of episodes of The Edible Garden on BBC. What now? How are you going to decide which vegetables to plant first? Never fear, here are some answers!

Let’s not be picky

Technically not a vegetable but a fruit, the tomato originated in South America. It’s full of wonderful nutrients such as niacin, potassium, phosphorus, lycopene, anthocyanin, carotene and vitamins A, C and E. It’s juicy, flavourful and perfect for a variety of salads, pasta and sandwiches. Compared to some vegetables, tomatoes do need a little more love and care but they tend to yield far more fruit than many other vegetables.

The humble radish

It comes in pretty shades of red, purple and white and hails from Europe. Mixed in your salads, it’ll bring you a wealth of potassium, folic acid, magnesium and calcium. A little water every few days and you’ll be able to harvest your radishes after several weeks. A quick fact is that they are not particularly susceptible to pests.

Jack of all trade

Hailing from Italy, through spontaneous mutations of summer squashes, zucchinis are low in calories and contain potassium, folate and manganese. You can boil them, fry them, steam them or even stuff and bake them.

Low maintenance

Like tomatoes, peas are a high-yield crop. And they attract few pests other than fruit flies. They’re a good source of vitamins A, B and C and are easily frozen.

Another very easy vegetable is lettuce and other baby greens. You plant them, water every morning and sit back. They’re a great source of folic acid and vitamin A.

Onions are full of dietary fibre, folate and vitamin C and they need very little care, too. A little water and you’re good to go.

Have fun

There are many more vegetables and herbs that you can cut your gardening teeth on. Do some research and join online forums. It won’t be long before you’re able to proudly walk past your local grocer knowing that a fresh salad is waiting to be made at home.

Tags: vegetable garden, vegetables