You don’t need expensive fruit and vegetables flown in from all over the world to boost your health. In fact, many humble allotment favourites are just as worthy of ‘superfood’ status.

Best of all, you can easily grow these unsung food heroes yourself. By doing so, you’ll not only reap the mental health benefits of tending to your own crops, but you’ll also end up with a more nutrient-dense meal. While supermarket suppliers often pick underripe fruit and veg to lengthen their shelf life, growing yours outside your back door means you can harvest them when both flavour and vitamins are at their peak. Here’s what to get growing now and what they can do for your wellbeing…

Immune support from GARLIC

Garlic has long been used in traditional herbal medicine to fight colds and other infections, and science is now beginning to understand more about its antimicrobial, antifungal and antiviral properties. These are thought to stem from allicin, which gives garlic its pungent taste and smell, and has been shown to fight bacteria and viruses in lab experiments.

GROW YOUR OWN Most garlic varieties need a cold spell for good bulb development, so are best planted in late autumn or early winter. However, some varieties, such as ‘Cledor’, should be planted in spring. Bulbs are ready to harvest when the leaves turn yellow, but before they do, the green leaves can be used in salads.

BLACKCURRANTS for the brain

While blueberries receive all the superfood accolades, blackcurrants pip them to the post in the plant-power charts. They’re bursting with the flavonoid anthocyanin, and there’s mounting evidence to suggest they’re nutritional powerhouses when it comes to keeping your thinking skills sharp. A recent study found that people who eat a diet that includes at least half a serving per day of foods high in flavonoids may have a 20% lower risk of cognitive decline.

GROW YOUR OWN Blackcurrants are easy to grow. Plant bare-root bushes between October and March and, in their first year, prune them right back

Freshly picked tomatoes are full of flavour

Tomatoes contain large amounts of vitamins C and E as well as beta-carotene, which all support heart health, but scientists are increasingly interested in lycopene, the pigment that gives tomatoes their vibrant red colour. It’s thought to help strengthen the walls of blood vessels, lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. Research shows that the biggest tomato eaters have a 20% lower risk of stroke.

GROW YOUR OWN For the highest levels of lycopene, choose a bright red cherry variety. ‘Sweet Million’ will provide a bumper crop of super-sweet fruit in a greenhouse, while the ever-reliable ‘Gardener’s Delight’ is perfectly happy in a sunny outdoor spot. Sow indoors (a sunny windowsill is ideal) from March. Always leave tomatoes on the plant for as long as possible, or store them on the worktop, where they will increase their lycopene content as they ripen.