Easy Grow Vegetables

Growing your own vegetables is not only a great way to save money but it can be a fun activity for the whole family. Here are 10 easy grow vegetables that the kids and adults will love. Along with gardening tips to help your garden thrive.

Photo Credit

What are we going to grow? Michelle Obama became the hero of parent-gardeners when she planted a garden at the White House. Kids love digging in the dirt and watching the plants grow. It’s also a great way to get them to eat their veggies!

10 Easy Grow Vegetables for Kids

1. Sugar snap peas
2. Lettuce, spinach and other leafy greens
3. Radishes
4. Carrots
5. Potatoes
6. Green Beans
7. Cherry Tomatoes
8. Pumpkins
9. Sunflowers
10. Broccoli

Sugar Snap Peas

Growing Sugar Snap Peas should be done during the cooler months in your location. For most locations that means a spring and fall planting schedule with southern locations enjoying winter plantings.

Tip: Before planting sprout your seeds in-between several layers of paper towel.

Lettuce, spinach and other leafy greens

There are dozen of types of choices for the home gardener when it comes to deciding what type of leafy greens to plant.

Tip: These plants prefer some afternoon shade to protect them and helps to prevent sun scald which can ruin your harvest.

Radishes

Now here’s a vegetable that any way you can entice kids to eat is always welcome. These peppery little orbs definitely should only be grown in successive plantings in early spring and early fall.

Tip: It works great to plant radishes in smaller containers so they can be moved indoors if there is a threat of frost.

Carrots

Carrots demand loose well-drained soil to grow successfully, which makes them great candidates for raised beds or containers.

Tip: Seed directly to the soil and once they have germinated thin them out so there are 3-4 inches between plants.

Potatoes

A staple of most kitchens, growing your own potatoes is a rewarding experience. To start your potatoes dig a trench 4-6 inches deep, place the seed potatoes in the bottom and cover with soil. 2 weeks after planting when the potato sprouts fill the trench with 3-4 inches of soil. Repeat this until you have a 4-6 inch mound above ground level.

Tip: This can also be done with patio containers.

Green Beans

There are two types of beans, bush beans, and pole beans. The conditions they can be grown in are similar, however, pole beans need some form of support.

Tip: Water regularly after sowing the seeds preventing the soil from drying out. Continue until they emerge.

Cherry Tomatoes

Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable to grow in containers. Just make sure the container is large enough to maintain the plant. Only plant one tomato plant per container and place the pot in a sunny spot that gets 6-8 hours of full sun every day.

Tip: Choosing dwarf tomato varieties makes it easier to grow in smaller pots.

Pumpkins

Pumpkins need a lot of room, often one hill consisting of 4 plants can cover up to 100 square feet. Plant them once the soil is above 70 degrees, over 90 is preferred.

Tip: Pumpkins have shallow roots so use care when working around the plants that you do not injure their sensitive roots.

Sunflowers

Most sunflowers are easy to grow and will thrive in many areas. I’ve planted them in a normal garden setting in rows and along the edges of south-facing buildings with great success. They make excellent cut flowers.

Tip: Planting them will encourage bees to come to your garden.

Broccoli

Broccoli is a nutritional powerhouse rich in vitamins and minerals. It’s possible to harvest throughout the growing season using succession plantings. With the last seeding done mid to late summer in most places.

Tip: Harvest your broccoli in the early morning before the soil heats up for the best taste.

Gardening Tips

Purdue University Extension Service has put together lots of great information to help you with your planning, planting and taking care of your garden. Start with planning your garden…

• Consumer Horticulture: Container and Raised Bed Gardening

Raised beds help improve water drainage in heavy clay soils or low lying areas. Raised beds also bring the garden to a height that is more workable for physically disabled or elderly gardeners.

There is no standard size for a raised bed, but keep in mind that you will need to reach everything in the bed without stepping into it.

Recipe for Growing Media (soil) makes 1 bushel

• 1/3 bushel of soil
• 1/3 bushel of organic matter {compost, peat moss, well-rotted manure}
• 1/3 bushel vermiculite or perlite
• 1/2 cup fertilizer {5-10-5, 6-10-4, or similar fertilizer formulation}

All of these items can be found at your local garden center, along with plenty of garden tools to choose from.

Purdue University has a really good Vegetable Planting Calendar for you with planting information on the area you live in. It is full of useful information like when to plant tomatoes in Indiana. It works very well as a gardening calendar.

Here is an example…

They list vegetables from asparagus through watermelons. When you are planning what you want to plant, be sure you have enough space too. Plants can take up a lot of space, Purdue University has some Space Saving Techniques.

Looking for more gardening tips? Check out our most popular posts – click on the photo to read! 

Do you have questions about gardening? Leave your questions in the comments below.

Photo Credits:  Peas – Lettuce – Sunflower – Potatoes – Broccoli – Cherry Tomatoes – Pumpkins