Drink To Your Health By Growing A Green Smoothie Garden

Green smoothies are a delicious way to get your daily dose of fruits and veggies. Super versatile, you can put whatever you want into them and drink them as a meal replacement or healthy snack. So why not find some space on your balcony or in the yard for a green smoothie garden?

The concept is simple; find a container or a tiny plot in the garden and grow fruits, vegetables, and herbs that you love to put into a blender and drink. 

Think kale, spinach, cucumber, celery, mint, cilantro, ginger, and more! 

My smoothie garden is in its beginning stages, but I look forward to soon going out every morning to collect some of the ingredients!  

A good family friend made my husband and I this gorgeous wrought-iron arbor as a wedding gift. We got married under it seven years ago, and I’ve been looking for a meaningful way to incorporate it into our landscape. So naturally, we grow cucumbers on it now. How romantic! 

Along with the cucumbers, I decided to use one of these barrel planters to grow nasturtiums, kale, cilantro, and “mojito” mint, a plant I hit more than once a day if you catch my drift. 

Beyond this planter, I also have blueberry bushes, strawberries, and ginger growing nearby for when I want to switch things up and add some fruit to the mix. 

Not sure what to grow in your smoothie or juice garden? Find a recipe you like, start from there, or choose some crops from an ingredient list below. 

Plant and enjoy all summer long! 

Kale, Apple, and Cucumber Smoothie

Courtesy of Giada de Laurentiis

• 1 cup of ice
• ½ cup of water
• 1 large apple (cored and diced)
• 1 medium cucumber (peeled, seeded, and diced)
• 4 large kale leaves (ribs removed)
• 1 celery stalk (chopped)

Mix all ingredients in a high-powered blender until smooth. 

Double Berry Smoothie

Courtesy of Giada de Laurentiis

• 1 cup of ice
• 6 medium strawberries (hulled and halved)
• ⅓ cup of blueberries
• ½ cup of baby spinach leaves
• ½ ripe medium banana 
• ¼ cup of any green juice (Naked Juice Green Machine)
• ¼ cup of fresh mint leaves

Mix all ingredients in a high-powered blender until smooth.

Apple-Ginger Green Smoothie

Courtesy of Kathryne Taylor of Cookie and Kate

• 1 cup of water
• Several ice cubes
• Juice from one lemon
• 1 cup of baby kale (ribs removed) or spinach
• 1 medium banana
• 1 Granny Smith apple (cored and diced)
• ½” knob of peeled fresh ginger
• A handful of fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon of hemp or chia seeds (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a high-powered blender until smooth. 

Enjoy!