3 Fun Edibles To Grow For Kids - Part 1
Some of my most vivid memories are being in the garden with my mum, going out and picking a ripe tomato off the bush. Even memories back to being 4 or 5 in England and eating a fresh gooseberry off the bush, what a surprise to find it wasn't ripe!
Kids love to explore, and what better way than to take them out into the garden with you. There are three, very easy crops you can grow, that will satisfy the curious tiny gardeners mind and tastebuds.
Peas! Tomatoes! Strawberries!
All are both fun and easy.
Peas, there are so many varieties of peas, from shelling, to pod, to snow peas. All just as tasty as the other. Now I love shelling peas, I have very fond memories of harvesting them, sitting at the table and hearing the pod POP as I shelled them. However, my niece absolutely loves growing and eating snow peas! She can't get enough of them.
Some great varieties include:
. Mammoth snow pea - Heavy yielding,
Kids love to explore, and what better way than to take them out into the garden with you. There are three, very easy crops you can grow, that will satisfy the curious tiny gardeners mind and tastebuds.
Peas! Tomatoes! Strawberries!
All are both fun and easy.
Peas, there are so many varieties of peas, from shelling, to pod, to snow peas. All just as tasty as the other. Now I love shelling peas, I have very fond memories of harvesting them, sitting at the table and hearing the pod POP as I shelled them. However, my niece absolutely loves growing and eating snow peas! She can't get enough of them.
Some great varieties include:
. Mammoth snow pea - Heavy yielding,
large pods, up to 2 meters tall.
. Sugar snap - Powdery mildew resistant
. Sugar snap - Powdery mildew resistant
and up to 1 meter tall.
. Yukamo snow pea
. Telephone - A shelling pea up to 2 meters
. Yukamo snow pea
. Telephone - A shelling pea up to 2 meters
tall.
These are quick and easy to grow varieties, that produce decent yields and are very tasty.
DID YOU KNOW: Peas have been sent into space!
Peas are extremely easy to grow and low maintenance vegetables, they can be grown in pots or containers and in the ground. Most pea varieties will require some form of trellis to grow up however as they are generally climbing plants.
They do prefer a rich, loamy soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.8, however they will grow outside this range, providing it's not extreme. When it comes to planting, you can buy either seeds, or seedlings from your local nursery. Seedlings are easy, gently remove them from their punnet and plant in the ground, watering them into their new home.
When planting seeds, they should be planted about an inch (2.5cm) deep, and a few inches apart. Again, water in well.
DID YOU KNOW: Queen Elizabeth the First imported peas as they were considered luxurious and were very expensive.
Peas are legumes, which means they fix nitrogen (draw nitrogen from hidden parts of the earth and bring it to the surface) so you don't need to fertilize initially, and only light on the nitrogen later on. Although you can give them a bit of seaweed solution every few weeks once they are growing to boost their health, kind of like us and our vitamin tablets.
FUN FACT: Peas come in different colours, including green, yellow and purple!
They do prefer a rich, loamy soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.8, however they will grow outside this range, providing it's not extreme. When it comes to planting, you can buy either seeds, or seedlings from your local nursery. Seedlings are easy, gently remove them from their punnet and plant in the ground, watering them into their new home.
When planting seeds, they should be planted about an inch (2.5cm) deep, and a few inches apart. Again, water in well.
DID YOU KNOW: Queen Elizabeth the First imported peas as they were considered luxurious and were very expensive.
Peas are legumes, which means they fix nitrogen (draw nitrogen from hidden parts of the earth and bring it to the surface) so you don't need to fertilize initially, and only light on the nitrogen later on. Although you can give them a bit of seaweed solution every few weeks once they are growing to boost their health, kind of like us and our vitamin tablets.
FUN FACT: Peas come in different colours, including green, yellow and purple!
Next week we will delve into sweet strawberries!
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