Is it too late to start a victory garden? I don’t think so. Weeds grow, even in this drought, so why not some vegetables?

Victory gardens, were vegetable, fruit, and herb gardens planted at private residences and public parks in the United Kingdom, United States and other countries during World War I and World War II. The gardens were to supplement rations and to boost morale. — excerpted from Wikipedia

It may not be war time, but with social distancing, near-lockdowns, self-isolation, long grocery store lines and empty shelves, I think sunshine, exercise and being amongst the greenery in our outdoor habitats will go a long way in preserving equilibrium and mental health.

For physical health, I advocate growing these vegetables: kale, beets, basil, tomatoes and Malabar — more about these later, read on.

The garden plot

Digging out a six-foot by 10-foot chunk of grass from your yard is pretty labor intensive, but not impossible. Begin the project at day break. Consider building your garden where the harsh afternoon sun won’t give it a direct hit.

Start your compost pile

Now is a good time to begin composting. Last September, I wrote about homemade compost: https://rgvctmn.org/2019/09/ “Anita’s Blog — And the Rains Came.”

Mow your lawn. Rake up the clippings and pile them in a sunny part of your yard close to where a water hose can reach. No expensive bins or enclosures needed, just a five-foot by three-foot area of ground.

An easy composting formula is green yard clippings, dry leaves, fruit and vegetable kitchen scraps, water, air. Using this formula will yield compost in about 18 days in 90-degree sunny weather if kept moist and turned once a week.

If you don’t have an ash tree that shed its leaves over winter, shred newspaper and add to the green clippings instead of leaves — unless you’re saving the newsprint to use as toilet paper. If so, used and shredded paper napkins, paper towels, thin cardboard will work.

Don’t wait to make compost to begin your garden. Spread the commpost around your vegetables when your compost is ready.

The plants

Visit a nursery, or big box store with a garden center, (keep yourself safe if you venture out; wear mask and gloves). Purchase tomato, basil and perhaps kale plants, if they have them. Check out stand-alone racks of seed packets for kale and beet seeds — both easy to sprout and easy to grow. Basil from seed is worth the wait if you don’t find the plants.

When you get home, plant the tomato plants and kale. Both will become tall and spread out; recommendation is 18 inches apart.

Plant basil plants where they will be protected from the wind, but not completely shaded. Tomato cages work well for basil plants as well as for tomato plants. Kale is bushy, but sturdy and doesn’t need a support.

Plant rows of beet seeds in front of the other plants. Hopefully you found Kale plants. If not, start seeds in a pot and transplant when they get a couple of true leaves.

New beet starts may want protection from rabbits until they get five or six inches tall, at which time, you can start eating the greens yourself. Take leaves from different plants. Be careful not to pull up the tiny beetroot. Only thin beet greens if you later want to eat or can the beetroot.

The vegetables

Kale, Brassica oleracea, is a member of the cabbage family

Kale is considered amongst the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet, providing vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber. It is said to contain a variety of antioxidants that fight depression, lower blood pressure, fight cancer, work to lower cholesterol, protect heart and eye health, help detox the body from harmful chemicals and work to correct a sense of equilibrium.

A total of 33 calories in one cup of kale (three grams of protein)

• Vitamin A: 206 percent of the Daily Value, DV, (from beta-carotene)
• Vitamin K: 684 percent of the DV
• Vitamin C: 134 percent of the DV
• Vitamin B6: 9 percent of the DV
• Also high in Lutein and Zeaxanthin, powerful nutrients that protect (aging) eyes

Beets, Beta vulgaris, tops are considered dark, leafy greens

Beet greens have higher nutritional value than the beetroot itself and a higher iron content than spinach. The greens are low in fat and cholesterol and packed with antioxidants. Cooked, they are the best vegetable source of calcium. Their vitamin A content helps strengthen the immune system and stimulates production of antibodies and white blood cells. The nutrients in beet greens are said to help ward off osteoporosis and may play a role in fighting Alzheimer’s disease.

Eight calories in one cup of chopped, raw, beet greens.

Beets contain good amounts of protein, phosphorus, zinc and fiber; they are high in vitamin B6, magnesium, potassium, copper, and manganese, Vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron.

The beta-carotene in vitamin A is a known antioxidant that can fight the effects of free radicals in the body along with cancer and heart disease. Doctors often recommend vitamin A to patients at risk of developing night blindness, according to literature from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

Beet greens are a good source of vitamin E, a difficult-to-obtain vitamin largely found in nuts and seeds, it is important for heart and brain health

Basil is a member of the mint family.

Basil is a powerful antioxidant, an anti-inflammatory, and has natural antibacterial properties. It contains phytochemicals which may be able to naturally help prevent cancer. It also is a natural adaptogen which helps the body deal with stress and balancing stress loads. A more well-known adaptogen is ginseng.

A cup of basil leaves contains 0 calories.

Basil is an excellent source of vitamin K, manganese, iron, vitamin A, and vitamin C. It’s also a good source of calcium, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids. 

Malabar, Basella alba, B. ruba (white or red stem, respectively) is found in tropical Asia and Africa where it is widely used as a leaf vegetable. It is native to the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and New Guinea, according to Wikipedia.

Malabar tastes similar to spinach. It is high in protein. The plant has a high heat tolerance and will produce through the summer in partial shade but prefers hot, humid, full sun. Malabar has a mucilaginous texture which makes it an excellent thickener in soups and stews. Raw, it can be added to salads. It is high in B-9 vitamin for optimal brain and nerve function.

Malabar has 10 calories per one cup, raw, chopped

• Excellent source of Vitamins A, C, iron, calcium
• Raw, it is rich in anti-oxidants such as carotene, lutein and zea-zanthin
• Folates (35 percent DV)
• High amount of protein
• Good source magnesium, phosphorus and potassium

Tomato is a major dietary source of the antioxidant which has been linked to many health benefits including reduced risk of heart disease and cancer. Tomatoes are a great source of vitamin C, potassium, folate, and vitamin K — a group of fat-soluble vitamins that play a role in blood clotting, bone metabolism, and regulating blood calcium levels.

The patio garden

It’s possible, although not easy, to grow all these vegetables in large pots on a patio or balcony if sun exposure can be at a minimum of six hours a day. The soil in potted plants will dry out quicker and roots can become hotter than with plants that are in the ground. Cherry tomatoes may be easier to grow in pots than larger tomato varieties.

Anything written in this blog post can be researched on the Internet; the recipe ideas are my own.

Recipe ideas

Chop together the same amount of kale leaves and beet greens (including red stems), the same amount or less of Malabar and several leaves of basil. All can be fine chopped or rough chopped.

• The fine or rough-chopped mixture (about one cup) can be added to a small can of water-packed tuna, (only half drained), a tablespoon or two of light mayonnaise, and optionally, a tablespoon or two of sweet pickle relish, mixed together and eaten on low-cal Wasa crackers for a power-house of nutrition without many calories.
• The finely chopped vegetables can be used in an omelet. Place about a half cup of mixture on the egg as it cooks. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese.
• In a quiche, the vegetables can be rough-chopped or minced, about two – three cups.
• For a breakfast drink made in a Vita-mix, add the vegetable leaves in large chunks.
• For salad, chop to your desired size and include as much as you want with other salad ingredients.
• The four leaf vegetables can be used in soups, stews, casseroles and side dishes, either whole leaf or rough-chopped.
• Tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, green, can be thin-sliced and sautéed with (or without) onion in small amounts of butter and/or olive oil, and eaten as a side vegetable, or sliced and added to stir-fry, or added to rice dishes with carrots, celery, garlic, green pepper, mushrooms and a couple dashes of soy sauce.
• Don’t forget about fried green tomatoes!

More about compost

Easy kitchen scrap routine

I put a two-quart plastic bowl in the corner of the kitchen sink for coffee grounds, tea bags, egg shells, banana peels, and other fruit and vegetable waste. I fill it with water and take it outside each day and empty it into a 5-gallon bucket. I use a couple of 5-gallon buckets as holding tanks and only fill them half full (think about the weight because you’ll be carrying these to your compost pile).

I bury the contents of the buckets in the compost pile each week when I turn the pile. The vegetables break down quicker after spending a week in water, and the added moisture is important to the internal workings of the compost. I alternate between three compost piles. While collecting the waste in the buckets, imagine the bouquet of pig slop; keep curing bucketfuls downwind of open windows. I’ve not had marauding animals disturb the contents of the buckets.

Coffee grounds are excellent for composting. They contain:

• Nitrogen
• Potassium
• Magnesium
• Copper
• other trace mineral

Coffee grounds dumped on top of soil around base of plants may make the soil impermeable and not allow water to swirl around roots – which is how nutrients begin their travel to the rest of the plant.

The best use of coffee, coffee grounds, tea and tea leaves is to add them to the compost pile with your other kitchen waste.

The grounds are not acidic, their pH is nearly neutral. They improve soil tilth and structure — even in our favorite clay soils.

Compost should not smell if kitchen waste is nearly 1/3 of the total. If it does smell, add dried leaves or shredded paper.

More about leafy greens and other memory-boosting reading

Of all of the foods included in the MIND diet, which was developed by researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, leafy green vegetables stand out as an especially important category.

People between the ages of 58 to 99 who ate a heaping half-cup of cooked leafy greens, or a heaping cup of uncooked greens like lettuce each day, had less cognitive decline — the equivalent of 11 years less — than those who hardly ate any leafy greens, say researchers in one study published in the journal, “Neurology.” MIND diet researchers recommend getting at least six such servings per week.

Further reading: “Top 5 Foods to Feed Your Brain. Memory-boosting nutrients to work into your diet,” by Rachel Meltzer, AARP, June 11, 2019, link:

https://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-2019/top-foods-for-your-brain.html

Use your own discretion about venturing out in public. These are only ideas if you feel safe in starting a garden or composting. Seeds can be ordered via the Internet or telephone from; Google: seed catalogs.

Your ideas and cautions are welcome. We’d like to hear from you!