Grow These 12 Delicious Superfoods Yourself and Save a TON of Money on Your Grocery Bill

Like all berries, strawberries contain phytochemicals that may support heart health and protect against age-related neurogenerative diseases.

Choose a sunny spot for planting, and grow about six plants per person in your household. Opt for ever-bearing varieties (it will say so in the description), which yield crops in spring and fall. Strawberries grow well in containers or hanging baskets, which also protects them somewhat from hungry critters such as chipmunks.

Kale is high in vitamins A, C, and K and antioxidants such as quercetin and kaempferol, which have anti-inflammatory and cardioprotective properties.

Kale needs full sun. Sprinkle a packet of seeds in your garden or large container, thinning to leave plants about 12 inches apart. It’s a fast grower; kale can be harvested in as little as 30 days. Snip off the outside lower leaves, and the plant will keep producing until a hard frost.

Zucchini contains tons of vitamins A and C, as well as carotenoids such as lutein for eye health and anti-oxidants such as beta-carotene to fight inflammation.

Plant zucchini seeds in full sun with plenty of room to spread out. You’ll need a trellis to support the growing plant, or choose bush varieties that are less gangly, more shrubby. Once the fruits start appearing, keep picking them so the plant will produce more—and don’t let them get too big because they’ll be too seedy and woody in texture.

Peppers are full of bioactive compounds such as vitamin C, beta carotene, and capsanthin, which has strong antioxidant qualities.

There are peppers in nearly every color of the rainbow, and many types grow well in containers. You can direct seed into your garden or plant transplants. Make sure to give them full sun.

Garlic contains the compounds allicin and ajoene, which have anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, immune-boosting, and cardioprotective properties.

Garlic is one of the easiest plants to grow. In the fall, plant individual cloves from seed garlic, not the bulbs you buy at the grocery store, which often are treated to prevent sprouting. You’ll harvest bulbs next summer when the foliage turns yellow and dies back.

Rosemary contains phenolic compounds that are powerful antioxidants. Some studies have shown that rosemary oil has anti-inflammatory properties.

Rosemary is a perennial herb in warm climates. In cold climates, you can overwinter the plant indoors. Sow the seeds or plant in the ground or in a pot. You’ll be able to snip off pieces for cooking in the first season when the plant is at least eight to 10 inches tall.

Spinach contains vitamins A, C, K, folic acid, iron, and calcium, earning its title as a superfood! Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties are well-researched.

Spinach is another green that’s super easy to grow in full sun, though it will tolerate some afternoon shade. Because it has shallow roots, you can even plant it in a window box. Sprinkle seeds over your soil, and keep it moist until it germinates. Harvest baby greens by snipping off at the base as early as 30 days after planting.

Watermelon contains beneficial bioactive compounds such as vitamins A and C, as well as being rich in lycopene, which has powerful anti-inflammatory properties.

Direct seed directly into garden beds in full sun. You’ll need plenty of space because watermelon plants need to be planted about 3 to 5 feet apart. Keep it well-watered to develop fruit, and harvest when the tendril closest to the fruit dries up.

Sage contains phytochemicals such as carnosol and rosmarinic acid, which have antioxidant properties.

Sage is another herb that’s extremely easy to grow. It’s perennial, so give it a spot in your yard where it gets full sun. You can start snipping off leaves in the first season when the plant is about eight inches tall. In subsequent years, the plant may also flower and attract pollinators.

Swiss chard contains phytochemicals such as terpenes and flavonoids, which have anti-inflammatory benefits.

Swiss chard is an underappreciated green, but it’s easy to grow all summer long. Sow the seeds in the ground, or mix them in large containers with ornamentals (after all, it’s a very pretty plant). Harvest baby chard when leaves are about six to eight inches long from the outside of the plant. As long as you keep it watered, it will produce all season and even will survive a few light frosts.