These 4 Garden Plants Support Better Gut Health – and They’re Easy to Grow Organically

For many of us, better health tops our New Year’s Resolutions list, year after year. While this goal often focuses on weight loss, gut issues are also among the top concerns. These can include gas, diarrhea, and constipation. Selecting certain foods to eat can help combat digestive issues. These include high-fiber foods, foods with plant compounds called polyphenols that promote beneficial gut bacteria, and foods with certain gut-helpful nutrients.

The veggies and fruits that provide these benefits are not exotic. They are super foods you can easily grow in your home garden.

Here are four favorites to get you started.

1. Blueberries

Blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) are currently the poster-children of healthy eating, deemed a "superfood" because of their high levels of antioxidants and nutrients. They are said to protect your body against heart disease as well as cognitive loss, and reduce inflammation. One cup of blueberries gives you 25% of your daily Vitamin C and K requirements, as well as 4 grams of fiber. The fiber aids digestion, prevents constipation, and promotes a healthy gut.

Plant blueberries in your garden in early spring or fall. They need a site with a lot of sun and well-drained, acidic soil. You’ll need to provide the berry plants with constant moisture, increasing their water when fruit is ripening. Blueberries planted today will give you fruit in a couple of years, and a maximum harvest after five years. Find 'Sweetheart' blueberry bushes from Fast Growing Trees and get ready for bountiful harvests.

2. Spinach

Most leafy greens - including lettuce, spinach, chard and kale - are top fiber sources. In addition, many offer nutrients, including folate and vitamins A, C and K. Spinach also contains a type of sugar that helps fuel growth of healthy gut bacteria. Grow spinach in pots or directly sow into your vegetable garden for delicious greens.

Keep in mind that spinach is a cool-season vegetable and grows best when it’s not too hot. Sow seeds in springtime a month or so before the final spring frost. Seeds should sprout in one to three weeks, depending on the temperature, and these greens will need 2 inches (30cm) of water each week.

You can start bringing in spinach for meals once the outer leaves are big enough, but don’t pick more than half of the leaves at any one time. High Mowing Organic Seeds offers quite the selection of organic spinach seeds to get you growing.

3. Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes beat regular potatoes in terms of nutrition, since they are not only high in fiber, but also high in beta carotene and antioxidants. These starchy veggies are incredibly nutritious and promote a healthy digestive system, as well as a strong brain, good eyesight, and a powerful immune system.

Growing sweet potatoes is easy. They need to be planted in warm, loose soil, so wait until a month or so after the last spring frost. The soil should drain well and be free of weeds. Keep the soil moist.

Space the potato plants 12 to 18 inches (30-45cm) apart, with rows 3 feet (1m) apart to give the vines room to roam. The soil must be kept moist at all times, then harvest them in early October. Park Seed offers 'Vardaman' sweet potato slips that are a "bunch" variety rather than a vine. Starting from a slip will mean a faster harvest than seed.

4. Fennel

Fennel is an aromatic vegetable with a mild licorice taste. Most of the plant can be eaten raw or roasted, from the crisp bulb to the feathery fronds. Roasting or grilling makes the flavor sweet and mild. As an herb, fennel is used to flavor dishes.

Fennel is packed with fiber and nutrients, including calcium, magnesium and potassium. It is known to improve digestion and relieve gastrointestinal spasms and bloating. It also acts as a diuretic, reducing excess bodily fluid and can help with digestive disorders including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Sow fennel seeds outdoors after the final spring frost. Pick a site with full sun exposure and well-drained soil, and give the plants plenty of elbow room to spread out. The soil should be consistently moist with a balanced fertilizer added every few weeks. Mounding soil around the base helps keep the bulbs tender and sweet. Harvest the bulb when the base is about as big as your fist, and make sure to harvest before the bulb flowers. Find organic fennel seeds from Ferry-Morse at the Home Depot or your local garden center.

Organic Growing Essentials