A fall garden is a perfect way to extend content standards beyond the four walls of your classroom. In this post, we will discuss six vegetables that grow quickly and be great in a school garden. Kids are more willing to try vegetables if they have invested time and energy to help the plants grow. Want to know more about garden benefits? Don’t miss this post!
Kids enjoy hands-on learning
Here are some important things to note when planting. Know your first frost days. Here is a link to get that info. Know how long they take to mature. And don’t plant the seedlings too close together. This will help prevent bottom rot!
Fast-growing plants
Some plants are known as fast-growing plants and are great for a school garden. Kids want to change their growth and change quickly in plants. These plants will provide those results.
My favorite thing to grow
The all-time favorite vegetable to grow in our school garden are radishes. They take approximately 28 days to grow from seedling to harvest.
Beets- While in the same family as radishes, they are a big difference. They need around 8 weeks to grow before the frost. Beets should be planted one-inch deep and 3-4 inches apart for best results.
Carrots- Another root vegetable that needs 6-8 weeks to grow. They should be five to eight inches apart. The orange part will stick out above the ground when they are ready. These are carrot activities that would supplement during grow time!
Onions- Green onions are great fall plants too. They take 2-4 weeks to grow fully. They should be set in shallow soil at 4-6 inches apart.
Brocolli- This is one plant that we transplant into the garden as a starter plant instead of a seedling. These take 6 weeks to begin to grow. They should be plants 12-18 inches apart.
Lettuce- This is my second favorite thing to grow in the fall because kids are willing to try a “salad”. There are a variety of leafy greens and most of them work during this time of the year. Iceberg, spinach, kale, red leaf lettuce etc. Plant 1-2 inches apart. They take about 2-3 weeks to grow. They are shallow root plants so don’t plant the seeds too deep.
Time to enjoy the garden harvest
When it is harvest time, make a salad with the plants and let the kids enjoy what they grew.
Interested in activities to supplement with growing the plants in a fall garden? Check out these activities!
Also, don’t miss the free workbook all about starting a school garden. It is jam-packed with helpful tips to help you get started!
