It’s getting close to summer, and minds are turning to the garden if they aren’t there already. Your child has likely been picking dandelions for weeks if not months. The spring flowers like tulips are fading, but other warm weather plants are heating up. Here are some crops that are particularly fun to grow with preschoolers.
If you haven’t tried radishes yet, it may be a little late. However, if you have a cool and shady place in the garden you may still be able to grow them. Radishes are very simple to grow in pots and are easy for little hands to plant, dig, and eat.
Cut and come again lettuces also like a somewhat cooler but still sunny area. These are also great plants for the preschool garden, and they are a sneaky way to get your child to eat her greens.
Chives and other herbs also have a place in the preschool garden. My daughter won’t eat onions, but give her a chive and she is happy. This is a good way to introduce your child to different flavors.
Summer squash plants need heat and light, but they will grow on a trellis. Zucchinis are prolific and a delight to harvest, since they feel like you’ve just grown something that is huge. Pumpkins require a large amount of space, but placing pumpkins on a sunny front lawn is a summer delight that will last long into fall, when the kids can decorate them for Halloween or Thanksgiving.
Sunflowers are another great hit. Choose a small sunflower that is easy for your preschooler to see or an immense one that is just plain impressive. Harvest the sunflower seeds in the fall and save them for winter birds who love the oil. Eat them yourselves, too: consider it to be some work on fine motor control for your preschooler.
What plants grow in your preschooler’s garden?