List of Easy to Grow Vegetables
(http://www.kiddiegardens.com/easy_to_grow_vegetables.html)
- Cress. This must be the absolutely most easy vegetable to grow. Usually grown indoors in flat containers with just some damp kitchen towel or blotting paper, you simply cannot go wrong. Cress, like mustard, grows very quickly and is the ideal starting place for young children. For added novelty, consider growing Cress Eggmen!
- Lettuce. Again, lettuce can be grown inside or out, in containers or in the vegetable patch. There are lots of different varieties to chose from. Follow the advice ongrowing lettuce and to begin with, try a smaller lettuce which grows quickly.
- Radishes. These are also a must on your list of starter vegetables. They prefer a damper or colder climate, and need very little maintenance - simply thin them out sufficiently to ensure there is enough space for the bulbs to develop. Radishes are often grown together with carrots, as the seedlings pop up quickly, acting as row markers, and also help to break down the surface for the weaker carrot seedlings to come through. See the different types and all about growing radishes.
- Swiss Chard. Like spinach, chard is not fussy about the ground and needs almost no care apart from thinning out and weeding to begin with. Chard also looks nice, especially the variety with red stems, and both the leaf and stem can be eaten. In many climates, chard will overwinter quite cheerfully. Children who don't like spinach, will often take to chard instead.
- Green Beans. Try the bush types for ease of cultivation, though runner beans do offer more yield in the same space (because they grow upwards!) and you can experiment with growing the beans over arches, creating a tunnel of runner beans through which the children can walk or make a bean teepee!
- Carrots. Providing you keep to a few simple rules, growing carrots is easy. They prefer a cooler climate and can be planted as soon as the frost is past and the ground is workable.
- Potatoes. Though often not considered to be an easy to grow vegetable, potatoes actually are as long as they are banked up and watered frequently. You can grow potatoes in containers which means they don't take up much space for a decent crop.
- Spinach. The best type of spinach to go for is spinach beet (which is not really a 'true' spinach at all) as it is less likely to bolt. Spinach prefers cooler climates so is ideal planted in early spring or autumn (check the variety on the seed packet), and like chard, leaves can be picked off and used and the plant will just keep on growing.
- Onions. Your best bet is to plant onion sets (miniature onions) rather than onion seeds to begin with. They are easy for younger children to handle and need almost no maintenance apart from initial weeding. Plant radishes together with the onions to mark out the rows, as they sprout faster. Onions like to be planted early on in the season, but there are also varieties which can be planted in late summer or early autumn for a winter or spring crop.
- Beetroot. Like spinach, kids either love it or hate it, but it is one of the easiest vegetables to grow. It can be planted as soon as the frost is over and just requires damp ground to germinate.
In warm climates it is also easy to grow vegetables directly outdoors which in cooler climates may benefit from being started off indoors or in a greenhouse and then being transplanted later on when the weather has warmed up a bit. These are:
How to plant seeds:
- Courgettes (Zucchini). Once established, courgettes really do look after themselves. They need a lot of water and can be prone to the same virus as cucumbers, so plant these two in different areas of the garden. Courgette flowers are also edible and considered a delicacy!
- Tomatoes. Tomatoes are easy to grow as long as the leaves do not get too wet. They need staking (usually with bamboo canes) or can be grown upside down! In cooler, wetter climates they do better indoors or in greenhouses but can be successful if planted along a south-facing wall and given some protecting in the form of a tomato frame. Choose cherry tomatoes as these are sweeter.
- Cucumbers. Cucumbers love climbing, so need some form of frame to grow along or can be planted by a fence - like tomatoes, they can also be grown upside down! In cooler climates, they do best indoors or in the greenhouse.
- Pumpkins. Pumpkins are a must for children! Pumpkins love hot summers and are well worth growing just for their sheer interest. The plants need lots of space and trailing kinds will grow along fences or trellis. Once established, they require little maintenance apart from plenty of water.
Rhubarb is another vegetable which is easy to grow and has the added benefit of coming up and providing tasty produce year after year. Check out Savor the Rhubarb for growing advice, recipies and just about everything you could ever wish to know about this very versatile plant!
Your Edible Garden
(http://www.sunset.com/garden/garden-basics/sowing-seeds-00400000014973/)
Many annuals, wildflowers, and vegetables can be seeded directly in the garden, either broadcast over a bed to give a planted-by-Nature look or sown in the traditional rows of a vegetable or cutting garden.
Many other plants, however, are best raised from seed sown in containers. These include slow-growing perennials, plants with expensive or very fine seed, and warm-season vegetables and annuals that you want to start when the garden soil is still too cold and wet for in-ground planting.
Flowers and vegetables to direct-sow
Certain easy-to-grow plants do best when sown directly in the garden, because they have delicate root systems or taproots that make successful transplantation from containers difficult.
Such plants include:
Whether you're sowing a wildflower mixture or several kinds of annuals for a showy border, start by preparing the soil. Remove weeds, then loosen the soil and work in amendments with a spading fork, shovel, or rototiller.
Add a complete fertilizer in the amount directed on the label. Finally, smooth the soil with a rake.
If rain doesn't do the job for you, moisten the bed thoroughly a few days before you intend to plant. At sowing time, the soil should be moist but not soggy.
Planting in rows
To grow vegetables or annuals in rows, prepare the soil (see video), but do not dig in fertilizer; it will be applied later.
Next, make furrows for the seeds, following the packet instructions for depth of furrows and spacing between them. If possible, lay out the rows in a north-south direction, so that both sides will receive an equal amount of sunlight during the day.
Form the furrows with a hoe, rake, or stick; for perfectly straight rows, use a board or taut string as a guide, as shown at right. Now dig two furrows alongside each seed furrow--one on either side, each 2 inches away from and 1 inch deeper than the seed furrow.
Apply fertilizer in these furrows, following label recommendations for amount of fertilizer per foot of row. This technique puts the fertilizer where plant roots can best use it.
Sow seeds evenly, spacing them as the packet directs. You can tear off a small corner of the packet and tap the seeds out as you move along, or pour a small quantity of seed into your palm and scatter pinches of seed as evenly as possible. Larger seeds, such as beans, can be placed individually by hand.
Water the furrows with a fine spray; then keep the soil surface moist but not dripping wet until the seeds sprout. Thin overcrowded seedlings while they're still small; if you wait too long to thin, the plants will develop poorly, and you'll have a harder time removing an individual plant without disturbing those around it.
Buying, storing, and broadcasting seeds
Be sure the seeds you buy are fresh; they should be dated for the current year. For many plants, seed may be sold in three different forms: loose, pelletized, and in tapes. Loose seeds, traditionally sold in packets, are familiar to all gardeners. Pelletized seeds, also sold in packets, are individually coated (like small pills) to make handling and proper spacing easier. Seed tapes are strips of biodegradable paper with seeds embedded in them, properly spaced for growing to maturity. You just unroll the tape in a prepared furrow and cover it with soil.
Store extra seeds in an airtight jar or other container in a cool, dry place. With proper storage, many kinds of seeds remain viable for a year, and some stay good for several years.
Broadcasting seeds in a prepared bed
1. For a patterned planting, outline the areas for each kind of seed with gypsum, flour, or stakes and string. You may want to put a label in each area.
2. To achieve a more even distribution, shake each kind of seed (or an entire wildflower seed mixture) in a covered can with several times its bulk of white sand.
3. Scatter the seed-sand mixture as evenly as possible over the bed or individual planting areas; then rake lightly, barely covering the seeds with soil. Take care not to bury them too deeply.
4. Spread a very thin layer of mulch (such as sifted compost) over the bed to help retain moisture, keep the surface from crusting, and hide the seeds from birds.
5. Water with a fine spray. Keep the soil surface barely damp until the seeds sprout; once seedlings are up, gradually decrease watering frequency.
6. When seedlings have two sets of true leaves, thin those that are too closely spaced. Transplant the thinned seedlings to fill empty spaces in the bed.
How to set out your plants:
Annuals and perennials in 4-inch nursery pots are inexpensive alternatives to bigger plants in gallon cans. And the smaller plants will catch up soon.
Before planting, amend the soil with organic matter and dunk the plant, still in its pot, into a bucket of water to soak the soil.
1. Dig a hole for each plant, making the hole about the same depth as the container and an inch or two wider.
2. Knock each plant out of its pot. Gently separate any matted roots. If roots are coiled at the bottom of the rootball, cut them off so new roots can grow.
3. Place each plant in its hole so that the rootball's top is even with the soil surface. Fill in with soil around the rootball, water with a gentle stream, then press the soil lightly to firm it.
Caring for your vegetables:
For the best possible harvest, keep your vegetables growing steadily ― without setbacks ― throughout the season.
Those started from seed sown directly in the groundusually require thinning, so that each plant will have enough space to develop properly. Thin plants when they're a few inches tall, spacing them as indicated in the descriptions here or on the seed packet.
Watering
Provide a steady supply of water from planting until harvest. Transplants need frequent watering until they're growing well; keep the soil moist but not soggy.
Rows or beds of seeds and young seedlings likewise need steady moisture, sometimes requiring sprinkling as often as two or three times a day if weather is very hot.
As transplants and seedlings grow and their roots reach deeper, you can water less often - but when you do water, be sure to moisten the entire root zone. To water your vegetable garden, you can use sprinklers, furrows, or a drip system.
Mulching
Mulching the garden conserves moisture and suppresses weed growth. An organic mulch such as straw or compost will also improve the soil's structure as it decomposes, making the top few inches looser and more crumbly.
However, because organic mulches keep the soil beneath them cool, it's best not to apply them until warm weather arrives.
A mulch of black plastic sheeting, on the other hand, helps warm the soil quickly in spring. After preparing the soil for planting, cover it with black plastic; then cut small holes where you want to sow seeds or set out plants. This tactic is especially useful for growing heat-loving crops such as melons and eggplant in regions with cool or short summers.
Fertilizing
For many vegetables, the fertilizer applied at planting time will be sufficient for the entire season.
But heavy feeders (such as corn) or those requiring a long growing season, including broccoli, cabbage, and tomatoes, may need one or two follow-up feedings.
Lightly scratch dry granular fertilizer into the soil (keep it off plant leaves), then water it in thoroughly; or use a water-soluble fertilizer according to label directions.
Weeding
Removing weeds is important, since they'll compete with vegetables for water, food, and light. As noted above, a mulch will help prevent weeds from getting started in the first place; those that do appear can usually be eliminated through hand-pulling, hoeing, or cultivating.
Whichever approach you choose, be sure to get rid of weeds before they set seed.
Controlling pests and disease
Various pests and diseases may occasionally afflict some of your vegetables. To avert or at least minimize the damage, take the following basic steps. If you encounter a problem not discussed here, contact your Cooperative Extension Office or knowledgeable nursery personnel for help.
1. Keep the garden healthy. Plants growing in the best possible conditions are better able to resist pests and diseases.
2. Keep the garden clean. Composting or discarding spent plants and tilling the soil (especially in fall) can help you avoid trouble, since a number of insects and diseases overwinter or spend some stage of their lives on plant debris.
3. Plant resistant varieties if they're available. Many tomato hybrids, for example, are resistant both to verticillium wilt and to fusarium wilt, another disease caused by a soil-dwelling fungus. (Fusarium wilt enters plants through their roots. Lower leaves may turn yellow or appear scorched; severely infected plants wilt and die.)
4. Mix different kinds of plants. Large expanses of just one sort can encourage equally large populations of pests fond of that plant. Mixed plantings favor more kinds of insects, including those that prey on the troublemakers.
5. Rotate the location of crops from year to year to prevent the buildup of diseases and insects specific to certain plants in any one part of the garden.
6. Encourage natural controls such as toads, lizards, many birds, and beneficial insects. Avoid chemical sprays, if possible; they wipe out helpful creatures along with pests, leaving the garden vulnerable to new attack.
