As parents, your children’s health, happiness, and wellbeing should come before your own. From a young age, getting your kids into eating healthily will help aid their development, maintain a healthy weight, and boost brain function and behavioural patterns.
If you enjoy gardening and want to promote healthy eating to your children, planting vegetables can be a great place to start. To keep your kids engaged, it’s best to plant vegetables that grow quickly such as the ones listed below.
Carrots
For carrots to grow well, you need to have a deep pot. It’s best to grow carrots in the spring or autumn months, as within a couple of weeks, you should be able to pull baby carrots. To keep your kids interested in growing carrots, you may want to try growing some purple ones. Carrots are a great source of potassium and vitamin K1, and they also have numerous health benefits like lowering cholesterol levels. Their crunchy texture and sweet taste make them a vegetable favourite for children of all ages.
Lettuce
For children to have a balanced diet, making salads and packing them with lettuce is the way forward. Lettuce comes in a variety of colours and is easy to grow. As we head into the autumn and winter, you will be happy to know that lettuce doesn’t need much sun to grow. Instead of using seed, it’s easier to grow lettuce from seedlings. Lettuce not only hydrates the body but is a rich source of vitamin K that can help strengthen bones. There are devices you can purchase from Progrow that can help with growing small crops like lettuce.
Peas
Green peas are a fantastic source of manganese and vitamin K that is essential for your child’s development. Peas are not only easy to grow, but they will improve your soil too. Many children love to pick peas and eat them fresh straight from the garden too. When compared to other seeds, you’re able to plant peas much earlier. Peas can also thrive in cooler weather climates and adapt well to the damp climate that early spring brings.
Potatoes
You will be hard-pressed to find a child who doesn’t love potatoes. Whatever you decide to make out of your potatoes, they are full of nutrients that can improve digestive health and control blood sugar. And, they’re naturally gluten-free. What’s more, potatoes can be grown in the ground, in a bag or a bin. Once they start to come up, you must cover shoots with extra compost, as well as keep them well watered. Potatoes are one of the easiest and most versatile vegetables you can grow in your garden that your kids are sure to love.
Radishes
Another great way to spruce up your salads is by adding crunchy, peppery radishes. You can grow radishes in containers, or plant them directly into the ground during the summer months. Radishes are also a brilliant source of vitamin C which your child needs for their immune system.
Getting your children into gardening and planting vegetables can encourage healthy eating, teach patience and responsibility, develop their social skillset, and improve sensory development. No matter what kind of vegetables interest your kids most, all those listed above are great healthy additions to your little one’s diet.
