Growing Heart-Smart Vegetables

High in Vitamin A, green and red leaf lettuce, like this Bon Vivant variety, can be grown in the fall garden. (Image source: Peto Seed Company)	The Swiss chard, native to Europe and Asia, is a biennial herb grown as an annual in vegetable gardens.

Beans aren't the only vegetable good for a heart-smart diet. Now, more than ever, it's important to include many servings of fruits and vegetables in one's daily diet.

Growing your own vegetables is a sure way to get the freshest, most nutritious vegetables. Fall is the best time of year to grow many vegetables that are high in fiber, nutrients and vitamins.

Turnips and mustard greens are among Southern favorites. Spinach, kale, collard greens and cabbage flourish when autumn days begin to cool and nighttime temperatures become crisp.

Brussel sprouts, collards, kale and broccoli are high in vitamin C and fiber. Many salad vegetables can be grown in the fall garden. Seed catalogs are full of varieties of green and red leaf lettuces, radishes, cresses and mesclun mixes. Mesclun is a mixture of salad greens including different lettuce varieties, arugula, mizuna and other specialty greens. Salad greens are high in vitamin A.

Other enjoyable fall vegetables include winter squashes, pumpkin and sweet potatoes. All can be stored throughout the season.

Always harvest vegetables early in the day to capture their peak level of freshness.