Dreaming of what to Grow!
Growing food in schools is an activity that teaches kids a lot about life. The idea has multiple proven benefits.
Gardening improves daily life skills, builds intellect and teaches children to work hard and be patient. It supports their development into caring adults, upholds well being and health, improves understanding and provides awareness of nature.
What to Grow in Schools
Whether the school has a vast garden or just a small patch with flower pots, there are a number of fruits and vegetables which can be grown by school children with the help of teachers and adults.
Sweet Corn Sweet corn is not always easy to grow. But once it is done, the kids will see it was worth all the hard work. The sweetness of freshly picked sweetcorn is amazing! In My Edible School gardens we also tend to go for different varieties of corn which come in many wonderful colours and may be used for popcorn.
French Beans French beans grow abundantly on a single plant, provided that the plant is watered regularly and properly. During the summer months you can be picking loads every day to, eat, freeze or even leave some on the plant for seeds or dried beans!
Broccoli Some kids don’t like to have broccoli to eat, but they will surely be interested if they grow it themselves. In our schools we tend to go for the purple sprouting broccoli as we find it’s easier to grow, you get more cuttings and the kids love eating anything purple!
Snap Peas Snap peas, also called sugar snap peas, are plants that are quick-growing and kids will be pleased by the progress they witness each day. Again, we try and get different colours on the go such as yellow and purple to keep things exciting!
Cucumbers Cucumber is always a good one to grow. Most kids like to include cucumber in their meals, so growing it will be a blast. Cucamelons are even more exciting to grow as they look like watermelons the size of a grape!! Nice and easy to pick – the kids love them!
Pumpkins Pumpkins require a bit of space to grow, but growing them is very fruitful because children are fond of both the fruit and the seeds – especially when we carve them for Halloween!.
Strawberries Strawberries are good to grow because they are more like snacks children love to have anytime. The thrill of delving into the strawberry patch to find any hiding is great. We sometimes
grow white strawberries which remain hidden from the birds.
Blueberries Blueberry plants take years to grow to their full potential, but you can always enjoy some in their early years. Incredibly delicious when you can get a handful from the bush!
We’ll explore the above and some weird and wonderful edible crops we try to introduce to the children in our schools and even find recipes to bring them into the kitchen for fresh healthy meals
