Production and Nutrition
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The southeastern United States has a climate suited for year-round vegetable production. Southern vegetable gardeners plant and harvest kale, collards, squash, tomatoes, lettuce, okra, melons, strawberries, sweet potatoes, celery --- pretty much any standard vegetable fare can flourish in these gardens. The United States Department of Health and Welfare recommends that Americans consume adequate quantities of potassium, magnesium, dietary fiber, iron, calcium, Vitamins A, E and C. Each of the vegetables mentioned here contain these nutrients, and when combined in meals can provide complete nutrition.
Quantity and Diversity
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One limitation for a southern garden is space. One sweet potato will provide an adult with their recommended daily Vitamin A dosage. It will take 5 cups of spinach or turnip greens to meet an adult's daily requirement of calcium. Although these vegetables can provide complete nutrition, a garden with enough room for the amount of produce necessary to consistently provide daily nutritional requirements is simply not practical. Consider, also, that the Food and Drug Administration suggests eating nutrients from a variety of sources and it is not feasible for a Southern garden to provide an individual or a family with complete nutrition on a consistent basis.
Bottom Line
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Complete nutrition is very difficult to achieve solely through eating vegetable garden produce. Different individuals, at various stages in their lives, have different nutritional requirements. Though a vegetable garden is a good source of vitamins and minerals, it is necessary to rely on other food sources, beyond the garden, for complete nutrition.
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