I am now preparing my "want list" for spring sowing and topping it is broccoli.

This wonderful vegetable, known as the "crown jewel of nutrition" is high in fibre, rich in vitamins and low in calories.

I shall sow the seeds in one of the borders, for I have long ago given up on a vegetable garden. Instead, I sow a selection of vegetable seeds amongst the flowers and shrubs and they hold their own charm, as well as being readily available for a culinary creation.

Broccoli is great when eaten raw, thrown into a bowl of salad.

This vegetable wonder holds many medicinal benefits and is the best form of preventative medicine.

It is good for the heart and lowers the risk of both heart disease and cancer. It holds a number of cancer-fighting properties including beta carotene, vitamin C and fibre.

It also has an abundance of phytochemicals, counting carbinol and sulforaphane which are said to guard against specific cancers and heart disease.

Broccoli is abundant in indole carbinol, which is a matter that breaks down the hormone oestrogen and comes from the phytochemical group.

Studies reveal that oestrogen is responsible in advancing certain breast tumours, as well as other physiological roles. Some researchers maintain that a cup of broccoli a day is all that is needed to provide sufficient indole carbinol to defend against such tumours.

Sulforaphane is present in cruciferous vegetables which include broccoli, cauliflower, kale and brussel sprouts and non-cruciferous vegetables such as green onions and carrots.

Dr Paul Talalay of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, in Baltimore, Maryland, US, developed a cell-culture test which illustrated that specific cruciferous vegetables intensify the activity of protective enzymes that battle against cancer.

The principle one was quinone reductase and it was found that the chemical sulforaphane triggered this enzyme increase.

Reports suggest that based on a 2,000kcal diet a medium size broccoli stalk affords 220 per cent of your daily value of vitamin C and 15pc of your daily requirements of vitamin A in the way of beta carotene.

Both vitamin C and beta carotene are antioxidants and we are being encouraged to throw away the pills and simply eat a healthy diet, which is low in fats and high in fruits and vegetables.

Antioxidants fight free radicals which cause damage to human cells. Free radicals are a harmful consequence of everyday metabolism, but in extreme amounts, they are thought to play a role in diseases such as arthritis, Alzheimer's, heart disease and cancer.

A study carried out by Dr Denham Harman of the University of Nebraska College of Medicine, intimates that free radicals are considerably responsible in accelerating the aging process causing heart disease, cataracts and cancer.

In countries where the diet is low in meat and high in fibre, colon and rectal cancers are low compared to the US, where they are the second leading cause of cancer deaths.

It is not known how fibre thwarts cancer but one theory holds that it causes food to move more rapidly and with improved bulk and consequently diminishes the concentration of carcinogenic matter in the bowel.

Another theory suggests that fibre decreases the transit time through the colon, thus minimising contact time between the faecal carcinogens and the colonic mucosa on the colon walls.

Yet another theory advocates that by increasing the fibre in our diets we will reduce the quantity of bile acids in the intestines and bacterial metabolism which in turn will reduce the production of carcinogen.

Broccoli helps to also fight diabetes due to its high fibre content. A diet high in fibre perks up the regulation of blood sugar as it appears to delay the clearing of the stomach, which in turn delays the absorption of glucose in the intestines.

Calcium is also present in broccoli and The University of California's Wellness Letter reveals that broccoli has as much calcium ounce for ounce as milk. And as we are all aware, calcium is vital in building and sustaining healthy bones in addition to regulating muscle functions.

Calcium deficiency contributes to osteoporosis which is a dramatic loss of bone mass and density that progressively makes the bones brittle and thus fragile.

At the age of 30 to 40 the bone mass density starts to weaken, irrespective of whether you have produced sufficient bone mass in your youth.

This is of paramount importance to women because a diet deficient in calcium will hit home during and after the menopause when women's oestrogen production undermines the bones' capability to preserve calcium.

Broccoli is very important in helping to combat heart disease due to its richness in vitamins and minerals, its high fibre content and low fat and calorie levels and high levels of calcium and potassium which assist with skeletal and muscle performance.

I shall sow in autumn Broccoli 'Rudolph' which is an extra early sprouting form and Broccoli 'Late Purple', which is reputed to be very easy and hardy and follows on from 'Rudolph'.

Let's hope for a bumper crop!