ANTIOXIDANTS prove you don't have to be big to pack a mighty punch.
A diet high in the compounds that make up some foods is thought to reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers.
These self-same fruits and vegies can be grown in the garden or pots — and look much more attractive than a row of vitamin supplements in the cupboard.
Eden Gardens horticulturalist Belinda Thackeray offered the following tips for growing antioxidants:
Vegetables
Carrots are root vegetables that are high in carotenes and can grow in both gardens and large pots.
Kale is a vigorous grower, with leaves that can be continuously harvested as needed. Tomatoes are a staple in any summer vegie garden, with fruit high in beta carotene, lycopene and a host of vitamins.
Fruit
Evergreen blueberry hybrids are grown in pots and gardens, reaching one metre high. They prefer full sun, slightly acidic soil and fruit from late spring to summer. Once established, each bush will produce up to four kilograms of berries each season.
Strawberries are perennial plants that thrive in sunny spots, in hanging baskets or in gardens.
Coffee is an evergreen tree that grows to five metres tall in a sunny position. Tea is harvested from young leaf tips of established Camellia sinensis and used fresh as green tea or dried for black tea.
Details: edengardens.com.au.
