Choosing Vegetables for a Children's Garden

Many parents already recognize that growing vegetables gives kids a chance to appreciate nature and watch things grow. And maybe they'll even eat that zucchini if they planted the seeds for it themselves. Often, the easiest way to start vegetables is from seed. It's also one of the least expensive ways. Growing from seed also gives gardeners access to unusual or interesting varieties of favorite vegetables, and many vegetables do better if they are not transplanted. For kids, seeing the seeds sprout and grow is a lot of fun.

Certain vegetable seeds hold particular appeal to kids, because of their flavor, ease of growing, and quick results.

Tomatoes are a gardeners' favorite, because the home-grown ones taste much, much better than those from the grocery store. Cherry tomatoes and the plum tomatoes give higher yields than the big round ones like "Celebrity." My kids like a variety called Sweet Million (www.parkseed.com), and Roma is useful for soups and sauces. Both are fairly disease resistant. "Heirloom" varieties may frustrate children, because the yields may be lower. Beginners may find it easier to buy tomatoes at the garden center. However, starting tomato seeds for a mid-May planting can be a fun project for the kids in March.

Beans are a very easy plant to grow--kids can plant the large, easy-to-handle seeds directly in the soil and water. Seedlings emerge in about a week, and growing beans is as close to foolproof as gardening gets. Consider some unusual varieties, such as wax beans, Italian-style Romano beans, or a shell bean. Last summer, my kids particularly enjoyed shelling lima beans grown in the back yard. When purchasing bean seeds, consider the difference between pole beans, which are more productive in limited space but require support, and bush beans, which do not need a trellis.

Peas are as easy to grow as beans. Sow seeds outdoors in early spring (April in Chicago) when the ground has thawed. It's fun to try varieties that are expensive or unavailable at the store, such as snow peas or sugar snap peas. Another advantage to these varieties is that they don't need to be shelled.

Kids love pumpkins, but the vines take up a lot of space and can get 10-15 feet long and yield only 1 or 2 fruits. A better choice might be zucchini and other squash. For zucchini, there are many "compact" varieties available that will take up less space and still give good yields. Kids will enjoy growing "monster" zucchini as long as 2 feet. Zucchini and other squashes are easily grown from seed. To do so, plant the seeds in mid-May after danger of frost has passed. Make a mound and sow 4-5 seeds in the mound with a few handfuls of compost.

Lettuce and greens are also easy to grow. Plant the seeds outdoors in mid- or late-April. It is not necessary to grow them in rows. Instead, you may scatter seeds over a small area and cover them with a thin layer of mulch or soil. Planting a small amount of seeds every two weeks will give a longer-lasting harvest than planting all the seeds at once. I get good results with mesclun, spinach, Swiss chard, and leaf lettuce. Growing nice heads of iceberg lettuce can be difficult.

Basil, parsley, catnip, and mint best grown in pots. Some perennial herbs are better grown in a bed in the soil, and will come back every year--oregano, chives, sage. Herbs freeze well in small zippered plastic bags, and can be stored for winter.

Many useful books on vegetable gardening are available at the library. The Seed Starter's Handbook by Nancy Bubel, the Frugal Gardener by Catriona Tudor, and the Midwest Fruit and Vegetable Handbook by James Frizzel are all useful references.