Having more fruits and vegetables in your diet is a hallmark of the DASH diet.
In the summer, a vegetable garden is a fun way to increase your intake of delicious, fresh vegetables.
Of course, the home-grown tomato is the king of summer vegetables. This year I found a new (or at least new to me) container for growing full sized tomato plants on a deck or patio. In addition to getting a great harvest using a tiny amount of space, you have much better control over the soil moisture with the built-in water reservoir. The kit came with the container, a cage (which proved to be too short for my tomato plants), and pre-fertilized soil.
I bought plants that were labeled patio tomatoes, which should have grown to be small bushy plants. They weren’t. They are about 6' tall right now.
Last summer, I didn’t get any tomatoes until September. This year I didn’t want to wait, so I bought plants that already had tomatoes. I got my first ripe tomatoes in late June.
In my regular garden (this year in raised beds), I have 2 regular tomato plants, and 2 “Sweet 100" which are very small cherry tomatoes, that are as sweet as grape tomatoes. These plants really produce and will produce late into fall. Two years ago I still had ripening tomatoes on the vine in early November. They made the evening local NBC news in Chicago.
I also have cucumbers, lettuce, cabbage, beans, peas, and squash. We also have several herb gardens mostly in pots, with our prize being all the lovely basil. It is a very rewarding summertime project, that only takes a few hours to get started. And reaping the harvest bounty is very satisfying and calming.
Hmm. . . a secondary benefit to help lower blood pressure.
To learn more about the book, The DASH Diet Action Plan, click here.
