Homeschool Garden Club - What Seeds to Look Out for Now

Here at the homeschool Garden Club, as part of our curriculum we teach being responsible of growing something for yourself, how to harvest, cooking and eat food you have nurtured from the seed packet to the plate. part of that is being outside and enjoying the fresh air. It’s great for your physical and mental health

Most of us when we start at the Homeschool garden club have never grown from seed before. So, our first lesson in -what seeds to look out for now - is all about the starters kit! Something quick, something spectacular, somethings that are easy and some companions!

Something Quick

We want quick results, the first lesson in should not be about sowing something that takes six months to grow. We need you to be excited to come back next week! Grow something you like to eat, and depending upon your age cress is a great starter seed as it meets the instant germination criteria - e.i with 24 hours. The bonus is we also can eat it within the 7 days of the first week!

Something Spectacular

Sunflowers are also an obvious choice. Here at the Homeschool Garden Club, there two sunflower competitions every summer. The first will be to grow the tallest sunflower and the second will be the sunflower with the most flower heads.

But why stop there? While you are out and about look out for packets of these seeds and seeds are now on sale in the garden centres and supermarkets.

Somethings That Are Easy

Radishes

Radishes are a love or hate vegetable for many people. So, if you grow them you need to at least try them first. They can be quite fiery peppery in taste but if you know that when you try them it is not a shock and sliced very thin are a way forward. They take about a week to germinate and can be eaten within the month.

Lettuce Leaves

Lettuce leaves are quick and easy to grow and may not be very exciting as a possible harvest for younger learners but we have found that as we have tried different leaves and we have overcome the "lettuce is boring" issue. They germinate very quickly between 2 and 12 days and if eaten as baby leaves can be eaten between 14 to 21 days.

Chives

Chives are a lovely herb and and very easy to to grow. These very undemanding herbs can be harvested quickly, snipped off and added to soups, mashed potatoes and any dish that needs a little of something on top. You don't even have to sow seeds, the chives at the Homeschool Garden Club need dividing so you can take home a clump with you. We will of course plant sow sow chives seeds this year with a 2 to 3 week germination time and ready to eat in 3 months it would be silly not to! We have perfected the art of drying chives in the Orchard Training Cookery Club - so you never have to buy some.

Peas

If you have never eaten freshly picked peas - then you haven't lived! you don't get a huge harvest but they taste amazing. Pea shoots are also as popular snack. However, not many get to the kitchen and that is ok! They are very easy to sow and take between 2 to 3 weeks to germinate. Sowing in succession (we sow every 2 weeks here at the Homeschool Garden Club) from March to July will keep a steady supply of love green gems coming 70 days later.

With peas there is an added bonus in that - peas need some support to grow up - so why not construct that frame as part of Design and Technology. Don't for get to do a write up and put this in you evidence diary. You don't have to be boring with your design some very interesting and fun structures can be made with sticks, tags and canes.

Carrots

We grow these in containers and have found them to be very easy. Plant and leave for a while, then pull, wash and eat - so far not many carrots have actually made it to the Orchard Training Cookery Club to be made in to a recipe.

The best part about our carrots is that if you cut off the fluffy fronds and put the tops in water you can watch them grow again and this comes under science.

The variety we have voted the best so far is Carrot ‘Paris Market Atlas. It takes about 2 to 3 weeks to germinate and only 60 to 70 days (just over 2 months) until we can eat them.

Tomatoes

If you have space then tomatoes are a great harvest. They do need regular feeding and watering. Regular feeding and watering is the key to growing tomatoes, and this can be down within science in the curriculum.

Tomatoes are easy to germinate but you can wait for our seeds to be potted on and grow them on. We will be growing a very reliable variety "Garden Delight'. These will take about 5 to 10 days to germinate and will be ready form July well into October if the weather is fine.

Some Companions

These are the plants we grow along side the harvest crop to bring in the beneficial insects and we have three favourites: blue cornflowers, orange marigolds and the edible nastutiurms

Cornflowers

We sow these direct in tot he soil and watch them grow. They are easy to grow, we just need to be careful not to weed them out buy accident. They attract both bees and butterflies into the area. Under environmental studies, the insects they attract will be fabulous to watch and record too! Don't forget to add them to your evidence diary.

Marigolds

If you are going to grow tomatoes then the marigolds are a must, as they repel whitefly. We tend to start these off in pots and plant our around the base of the tomatoes plants. They take about 5 to 10 days to germinate and not long from here to potting on.

Nasturtiums

these can take about 14 days to germinate and are easy to grown direct in to the grown. We use them between the strawberry plants here at the Homeschool Garden Club where they do a great job of camouflaging the strawberries. They scramble and spread around the strawberries and under the blackcurrants nicely. The flowers and the seeds are both edible. The flowers are lovely to look at and can be added to safely salads, the seeds known as the "poor man's capers" when I was training to be a chef and can be pickled.