How to Get More Greens Into Your Diet: Grow Them

If you want to eat more greens, the easiest way is simple: grow them.

Whether you’re refreshing your summer container garden or starting your first garden ever, planting leafy greens is one of the most rewarding — and delicious — ways to bring more nutrients, flavor, and calm into your daily life.

There’s something transformative about growing your own lettuce, kale, or chard. Fresh greens grown just steps from your kitchen taste better — cleaner, crisper, sweeter — and they remind you that wellness can be as simple as tending something living.

From Summer to Fall: Refreshing or Starting Fresh

If your summer container garden is winding down, this is the perfect time for a seasonal reset.
Pull out the sun-tired tomato vines and leggy herbs, and make room for cool-weather greens that thrive in fall and early winter.

If you’re new to gardening, leafy greens are a wonderful place to begin — forgiving, fast-growing, and deeply satisfying to harvest.

To transition or start fresh:

1. Refresh your soil. You want to make sure you are planting your leafy greens in soil that is thriving and alive.  If you are looking for a simple way to refresh your summer soil try our banana soup recipe.
   
2. Trim back old roots or debris. Give your new greens space to grow freely.
   
3. Plant densely. Leafy greens love to grow close together — think lush, full, and overflowing.
   
4. Water deeply. Cool weather slows evaporation, so focus on soaking thoroughly, not often.
   
5. Add a touch of intention. Gardening invites mindfulness — even five minutes with your plants can shift your day.
   

In just a few weeks, you’ll see bright new leaves unfurling — and your meals will never be the same.

Our Favorite Leafy Greens (and Their Perfect Herb Companions)

One of the joys of growing greens is discovering how beautifully they pair with herbs — both in the garden and in the kitchen. Companion planting isn’t just about saving space; it’s about creating a thriving mini-ecosystem where each plant supports the other’s growth, flavor, and resilience.

Here are a few of our favorite combinations for your fall and winter containers:

(Grow Pro tip: Mixing greens and herbs in one container not only boosts flavor but creates a naturally pest-resistant and pollinator-friendly garden.)

Proof: Grow Your Own, Eat More Greens

It’s not just a feeling — it’s science.

Studies show that people who grow their own vegetables eat significantly more fresh produce than those who don’t.

A 2022 University of Colorado study found that home gardeners consumed nearly twice as many daily servings of fruits and vegetables compared to non-gardeners.

When you grow your greens, you become part of the process — planting, nurturing, and harvesting. That connection makes you more likely to eat what you grow and to savor it.

Freshly picked greens taste better, look brighter, and carry the satisfaction of something you created yourself.

Grow What Nourishes You

Whether you’re refreshing a summer garden or planting for the first time, a leafy green garden is an invitation to slow down, to eat better, and to grow something good for yourself.

Because when you grow your own, you don’t just add more greens to your plate — you add more calm, color, and joy to your life.

Grow what nourishes you. Grow what matters.