Making vegetables fun for kids

Making vegetables fun for kids

While it may feel a bit depressing to be thinking about the cooler weather already, if you want to grow your own winter vegetables March is the time to start planting.

“The secret to a successful winter vegetable garden is planning,” says Awapuni Nurseries gardening guru, Tod Palenski. “Some vegetables can take up to three months to mature so getting seedlings in early is important.”

He says planting vegetables is a great activity for the whole family – and it might even get the kids to eat their greens.

“They’ll enjoy being able to choose which vegetables to plant and they’ll look forward to eating the end product which they’ve grown themselves.”

When choosing winter vegetables, Tod says you can’t go past Awapuni’s Pop‘n’Grow mixes.

“Awapuni’s mixed vegetable seedlings are a good way to go. They will give you a nice variety and will mean you won’t get an overload of one vegetable.”

There are two vegetable mixes available now. One has pak choi, silverbeet and broccoli, and the other has cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage.

“Brassicas are handy to have in your garden. Cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage are all versatile vegetables that are great fresh for winter meals – especially with cheese sauce.”

When planning your winter vegetables, Tod advises rotating crops and adding plenty of lime.

“Make sure you brassicas are in a different place to where they were last year, or they run the risk of developing club rot. Lime stops the soil going sour, so add plenty before you start planting.

“Putting down some mulch will also make it easier when you harvest your crops. You can just dig in the mulch and have the soil ready for the next lot of plants.”

To add a fun splash of colour, Tod suggests planting ornamental beet bright lights.

“The colourful leaves are an interesting alternative to plain green silverbeet and the kids will love watching them grow. With vivid pink, orange and yellow stems, and a milder taste than silverbeet, they’re a great alternative to greens.”

Now is also the time to plant herbs, to go with those stews and casseroles.

“Start growing parsley now so you have plenty for the winter months. The lime in your vegetable garden will stop the parsley going yellow and, if you plant them on a mound of soil, they will have the drainage they need.”

Once the vegetables are, Tod says the biggest worry about is the unpredictable weather.

“The weather at this time of year can be quite up and down, so make sure your vegetables have enough water and are protected from high winds, droughts and slugs.

“Bark mulch is a great slug-stopper as they don’t like crossing the rough surface”

By doing a bit of planning now in you’ll be rewarded with fresh vegetables the whole family can enjoy this winter.

Ends…/

© Scoop Media