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Sunflower seeds are a good source of iron.
This year, I’m creating an ultimate vegan garden.
Every fruit and veggie that goes into a garden is vegan, of course. But I wanted to choose ones that go the extra mile in providing calcium, iron, zinc, and vitamin A (or more specifically, beta-carotene). These are nutrients that are not difficult to find in vegan diets, but they do deserve just a little bit of extra attention.
So here are a few suggestions for garden veggies that will give your vegan diet a little healthful boost:
Bok choy (or pak choi) grows cheerfully in cooler weather so is a good fit to my northwest climate. But it can grow in most places for spring harvest and then again in the fall. And it’s a wonderful source of calcium.
Greens like kale, collards, and turnips are all great calcium sources. They are easier to grow than broccoli (a close cousin) and they also go farther. Harvest just the outer leaves and they will keep producing well into the fall.
Swiss chard doesn’t provide calcium like other greens, but it’s a good source of iron. And it is so beautiful in the garden, especially if you can find the variety called Bright Lights.
Peas are easy to grow early in the season and will give your diet a little boost of zinc.
Sunflowers give a garden a very happy look and their seeds provide iron (if the birds will share them!).
Pumpkins deserve their own little corner patch since the flesh is the world’s best source of beta-carotene and the seeds are a good source of zinc.
Include some good vitamin C sources, too—to give iron absorption a boost—like strawberries and tomatoes.
To keep your garden completely vegan, make your own compost to use for conditioning soil. And look for a vegan fertilizer. I found mine at the Territorial Seed Company.
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