While my daughter has a garden, our food growing tends to occur in our communal vegetable garden. As I ordered seeds for a new year, she decided that she might want to try growing some vegetables in her own garden. What are some ideal early spring crops for kids?
Radishes are an early crop, and in many places they can be planted as soon as the ground is unfrozen. Make a simple cold frame with some clear plastic or plexiglass to warm up the ground a bit, just in case there is a late frost. I love the Easter Egg Radishes. They’re pink and purple and white, and the name makes them even more interesting to preschoolers. Serve them with a little bit of dip if your preschooler feels some trepidation about eating radishes.
We also plant our peas quite early, because they too love the cooler weather. The peas grow up a trellis that my daughter plays under, so she can reach up and pick them. We choose edible pod peas so that they are easy to harvest and eat.
Some herbs are also quite winter-hardy and good to nibble on. Parsley and sorrel are both tasty and can survive the cold. In my climate, the lemony leaves of sorrel are some of the first to emerge from the ground in the spring, and the plant is a perennial.
Consider making a little raised bed or a window box near a child’s play area. A child’s garden does not need to be large. Ideally, place the garden in a location where the rain will water it, making maintenance a bit easier.
As the weather warms, I’ll talk a little more about late spring crops to grow with your preschooler.
Does your child grow vegetables? What do you like to grow?