Pre School Planting
Could you please give us some advice on what veges and herbs we could plant as a starter for our preschool garden?
Great to hear you are planning a garden in your preschool. Gardening is a wonderful skill for children to learn at any age and encourages healthy eating. When it comes to growing veggies with children, it’s always a good idea to get quick growing varieties to keep them interested and that are safe to eat raw.
Beans - especially dwarf or climber varieties are fun for kids to grow and you can even get them to help make a bean tepee for climber beans. For instant gratification you can’t go past radishes; simply sow seeds straight into the garden. For tasty tomatoes, try Sweet 100 (cherry variety); just make sure you fertilise them well with Daltons Tomato Fert for continuous cropping.
Other great veggies to grow are carrots, sweet corn, lettuce, celery, peas and snow peas. Rewarding to grow and delicious to eat, strawberries are ideal for kids. They also need regular fertilising with Daltons Strawberry Fert for maximum fruiting.
In terms of herbs, let the children grow them and take home any you have in excess. Try parsley, chives, basil, thyme, tarragon, sage or rosemary. Rosemary is also great for attracting attract bees into the garden with its lovely purple flowers.
Before you plant out, it’s very important to prepare the soil first so your plants get the best start. Do this by adding in plenty of Daltons Compost and dig it into existing soil a week or so before planting out.
