Did you know that many children don’t know how or where their vegetables are grown? Did you know that every year, county fairs get fewer open entries from youngsters in their vegetable and flower departments?
As parents, grandparents, relatives and neighbors, we can change these statistics by taking the time to help our kids grow some fun this summer. At the same time, they can learn how vegetables grow and perhaps even earn a ribbon or two come fair time.
Gardening can become a hobby when you choose to grow unusual vegetables.
Ever wonder about that mini ear of corn that comes in your stir fry? Thompson and Morgan Seed Company has the seed. It’s called Snobaby.
Plant it as you would full-sized corn: directly in the garden once the soil has warmed (typically around Memorial Day weekend), in full sun, about 2 inches deep and 6 inches apart.
For best pollination, have at least four rows. What you are harvesting are immature ears, so once the silk begins to poke itself out of the top of the husk, its time to pick.
The world of cucumbers has gone a bit topsy-turvy. One variety, named “Long White,” is offered through Thompson and Morgan. A midseason cucumber, it is ready to harvest in 85 days. It has pure white flesh, seeds and a skin that they say is thin enough to eat with no peeling required. Plant it directly in the garden or let it climb a fence. Keep the harvest picked to encourage continued production just as you would a green cucumber.
The cultivation of white carrots is the same as it is for the purple and orange varieties, but when this baby matures, it’s pure white. The variety is called “White Satin.” “Little Finger” is another interesting kind of carrot.
Consider planting a couple of crops — staggering them at two-week intervals so they won’t come in at the same time. Harvest them young.
Another root may appeal more to adults than to children, but it’s worth trying: salsify, or vegetable oyster, so named for its flavor. It looks and grows like a parsnip, but beware: As a germinating seedling, it resembles freshly sprouting grass, so don’t accidentally hoe it out. Mom always peeled it, sliced it in little coins and fried it as a side vegetable. Cultivate it as you would a carrot or parsnip.
Blue potatoes, foot-long carrots, mini sweet peppers, purple cauliflower, white eggplant, white summer squash, bulls-eye swirled beets, popcorn, rainbow Swiss chard, colorful leaf lettuce, kohlrabi, purple beans that turn green when cooked — the list keeps going, and so does the lesson in learning how our vegetables grow.
