Nicky Roeber, Online Horticultural Expert at Wyevale Garden Centres, gives us his expert gardening advice to help you grow your own nutrient-rich superfoods.

It’s easy to grow your own vegetables at home, and some of the varieties that we can grow here in the UK are extremely good for your body. I’ll share my tips for growing four superfoods that you can add to your post-workout meals.

Broccoli
Broccoli is low calorie and high in iron and vitamins C and K. It’s great for tissue repair, so it’s the perfect addition to your post workout meal.
The quickest way to grow broccoli is from plug plants, which are plants that have already sprouted from their seeds. Before planting your broccoli, it needs to be adjusted to the cold weather, so keep it indoors and gradually increase the time it spends outside for 7–10 days. Start with an hour on the first day and increase by an hour each day.
The day before you plan to plant your vegetables, tread over the soil to remove any air pockets, make a hole for each plant and fill it with water. The next day, plant your broccoli sprouts and press the soil down around them firmly. Harvest when the spears are fully formed but before the flowers open.



Microgreens
Microgreens are small leafy vegetables that are great added to salads and sandwiches. Don’t be fooled by their small size, though: they’re packed full of nutrients. Typical microgreens include coriander, purple basil, red-stemmed radish or Greek cress.
Microgreens are really easy to grow: simply find a small tray or tub, cut some felt or kitchen roll to the size of the base and place it in the bottom. Wet the felt or kitchen roll, add the seeds on top and then place on a sunny windowsill. Water regularly and keep testing your greens until you think they’re tasty enough.



Red peppers
Red peppers are high in vitamins C, B6, K, E and A and are by far the sweetest of the peppers. Starter plants will grow more quickly than starting from seeds and can be planted in multipurpose compost. You’ll need to acclimatise them to the cold the same way as broccoli.
To grow, simply fill individual pots with compost, place the plug plant in it and top it up with more compost. Water the plants regularly and keep them either in a greenhouse or on a sunny windowsill. Pepper plants can grow quite tall, so will need staking for support as they grow.



These three superfoods are easy to grow, are rich in nutrients and are great at helping your body recover after a workout.