"Grow Your Own Pharmacy"
There are a number of vitamins and minerals we need on a daily basis to keep us healthy. Strictly speaking we should be able to get all we need from nature, but when you see those irresistible bottles and jars of 'extra vitamin supplements, it's almost criminal not to give them a try. However, it seems that a) most of them get left in the back of a cupboard or b) we didn't actually need them in the first place. Sometimes both a and b apply! There are nine main vitamins we can find in everyday food crops and all of them can be grown at home. Vitamins D and B12 are absorbed through sunlight, and in meat and dairy products, so unless you are keeping your own hens, some vitamins will have to be 'bought' in - although that still doesn't mean hitting the pill bottles... buy organic fresh produce as far as possible and grow the rest of the vitamins you and your family need: Grow Your Own Pharmacy by vitamins......  Probably the most talked about vitamin, but we often cook out a lot of the goodness from vegetables, apart from tomatoes. They are one of the rare foods that hold their vitamin C during cooking, so grow lots! Other garden produce high in vitamin C includes blackcurrants, peppers and strawberries. Peppers need to be planted every year, but strawberries and blackcurrants need a permanent patch.
Vitamin A: Well, yes apparently carrots really do help you see in the dark! One medium carrot can provide all the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A, which helps vision, and also acts as an antioxidant in the body to help fight off free radicals. Pumpkin is another good source of vitamin A, as well as winter kale, so remember to plant some before the summer's out. Fresh green veg in the winter will help ward off colds and flu.
Vitamin B1: Vitamin B1 converts carbs and fats into energy so for a boost of daily energy, keep up with the B1. Foods rich in this vitamin are broad beans ( which can be grown twice a year ), sweet corn, hazelnuts and garlic. Garlic is easy to grow in a small space and will add that touch of 'je ne sais quoi' to your cooking! Sweetcorn and hazelnuts need a bit more space, but are simple to grow and are popular and nutritious family foods. Although vitamin B2 can be found in spinach and is easy to grow in the home garden, we could diversify a little here and go for different tastes. Mushrooms are a good source of B2 and can be grown in kit form indoors. Salsify is a vegetable that many of us have forgotten about. It used to be called the oyster vegetable and is a great root crop as long as you have a good depth of soil in the veggie patch. ( You can have fun with food while you grow your own pharmacy! )
Vitamin B6: This is where we can hit the good old fashioned staples. Potatoes and onions are a good source of vitamin B6. If you worry about potatoes being a weight gaining food, a fresh potato straight from the ground doesn't need any additional butter, cheese or other toppings to make it tasty! Buy a specially designed potato barrel to save space - and digging! Thompson & Morgan, below, have a practical potato barrel in their Gardening Equipment department. And onions, if stored well, will last for months.
Vitamin E: Asparagus and raspberries have often been considered to be 'luxury' crops - this is probably because they are so expensive in the shops. They are both perfect for the home-grower. Both crops go on for years with very little attention. Asparagus is cropped during the 'hungry gap' - after the winter crops have finished and before the spring crops begin. And raspberries turn up in early summer usually.
Folate: Folate isn't made by the body so must come from a good source. Luckily it is found in everyday veggies we can grow at home. Beetroot and green beans are good sources of folate. Another source, that we often don't realise, is parsley. Chop parsley finely and sprinkle over your food, rather than leave it on the side of the plate as an inedible garnish - it is really packed full of goodness. Niacin (B3) is one of the most active vitamins in the body and breaks down fats and sugars. It is generally found in protein rich foods such as meat, fish and pulses. Courgettes (zucchini) are a good source of niacin and can crop right through the summer and autumn months. Peas are also high in niacin and can be started off early in the year. Peas are a good vegetable to grow in the home vegetable patch as they can replace nitrogen in the soil.
Pantothenic Acid (B5): Another of the B vitamins, this one is needed to produce B12 which helps maintain cell structure in the blood. Avocados are a good source of B5 as well as broccoli and parsnips. Parsnips are best lefft in the ground until after the first frost so are a great early winter vegetable. They also store well. Try growing different types of broccoli; dwarf varieties are ideal for container growing.
Don't forget that all of these crops mentioned have other vitamins and minerals apart from the ones listed above, and the best way to feed yourself and your family is to grow an assortment of fruit and vegetables, and remember to eat them! Find out more in my book 'Grow Your Own Pharmacy' available everywhere!
 Happy Gardening!
 • Clear instructions on planning, planting, growing and harvesting the fruits, vegetables and herbs required for a healthy vitamin intake. (When you grow your own pharmacy, you can give the supplement counter a wide berth!) • Recipes and menus to help incorporate the fruit and vegetables into your daily diet. Grow Your Own Groceries: Producing your own food is not only rewarding but - in times of economic and environmental changes - increasingly a must! Nature provides everything the human body requires to thrive, and cultivating some of those natural products in your own back garden will not only produce the best food on the planet for you and your loved ones, it is also economical, environmentally friendly and more fun than shopping.  Gardening is more than a hobby; it's a way of life. Even without a garden, many plants can be grown in containers, on a balcony, and indoors. Order it now direct from the publisher... Grow Your Own Groceries Herb Gardening: Herbs are becoming recognised more and more as superfoods, as if we didn't know that really! 'Herb Gardening' has been beautifully put together by the publisher (Crowood Press) into a well presented book with full colour photos.  Along with growing instructions for forty different herbs, there are lots of great ideas, including culinary delights and medicinal alternatives. You'll also find gardening advice as well as some ideas on planning a herb garden. Order it now direct from the publisher... Herb Gardening
Granny's Book Of Good Old Fashioned Common Sense is packed full of great ideas and tips. Granny brings traditional home-making up to date with cooking, gardening, needlecrafts and even games to play with the kids...Click on the link below to order your copy.  Cooking doesn’t have to be a chore and preparing nourishing home cooked meals for the family will certainly keep them away from the goodie shelf. Gardening encourages physical exercise and a good healthy dollop of fresh air. And you can get the kids involved too. Before the days of computer games and electronic pets, children used to have fun without rummaging about in the fridge every five minutes. Enjoy a few rainy-day games and crafts of yesteryear with today’s kids. They’ll love it and so will you!
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Peppers 
Tomatoes 
Carrots
Onions 
Strawberries 
Beans