Edible Gardening

As we discussed in our last post the days are getting longer and the warmer weather probably has left you, along with everyone else, with a full blown case of spring fever.  Today we're going to delve into the edible gardening, especially our cool season vegetables .  

While its a bit early to plant any warm season veggies, now is the perfect time to amend soils in our planting beds as well as lay out our cool season plants or seeds. Cool season vegetables are those varieties that thrive during the shorter days and cooler nights.  Some examples of cool season vegetables are; carrots, beets, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, and many more.  Although these plants can tolerate the cold, they can still be wiped out by a severe frost or freeze.

Spinach and lettuces can also be planted this time of year.  If you don't have a lot of room, or don't want a dedicated vegetable garden, use larges pots with drainage holes to to create a salad garden. Wouldn't it be nice to be the first person on the block with fresh salad greens picked just steps away from your door.  

Gardening is also a great way to get your kids interested in gardening as well as understanding where their food comes from and how its produced.  My own children take great delight in planting and maintaining their own little plots in our garden, always eager to harvest and taste something that they nurtured and cared for.  If your interested in getting your kids to eat more veggies, let them grow them, you'd be surprised how much more open they are to enjoying the fruits of their labor.