Spring is my favorite time of year for many reasons, but one is that I love planting a garden. Growing fresh produce is a wonderful way to teach your children about plants and the responsibility of taking care of them. You also know that you are growing food that is safe and free of harmful chemicals.

Maybe you have been thinking about growing some veggies, but you are not sure which ones to grow. May I make some suggestions?  Vegetables that like cool climates and can be sown directly into the soil now are loose leaf varieties of lettuce such as mesclun, salad bowl, and gourmet blend.  Spinach is another crop to plant now and can be harvested while the leaves are small or let them grow a little bit longer to enjoy in a spinach salad.

Beans are a nearly always a success and you can plant several crops throughout the growing season. Your children will be so excited to watch the beans form and once the small bean pods begin to form, it is a short time until  they are ready to be harvested.

If you don’t want to fool with vegetables that need to be harvested throughout the summer, why not plant some pumpkin seeds? I will warn you, though, they need a lot of room! My neighbor’s entire garden was taken over by pumpkin plants last year, but she had some amazing pumpkins for her grandchildren and the neighborhood.

If you have poor drainage you can create a “raised bed” by creating a hill of dirt that is 3 to 4 inches high and planting your seeds in the middle of the hill. Bush cucumbers are recommended to be planted that way and I think I will try my hand at growing zucchini this way too.

Here are some resources for planting your own garden this year.

My First Garden This has great information that you will find useful in beginning your garden.

Another great website is called Serenata Flowers, which has lots of information and websites for you to enjoy.

High Mowing Seeds is an organic seed company that has more seeds than you have room for in your garden!

The Garden Hoard is a small seed company that I have used in the past and love their selection of heirloom tomatoes and other veggies. They also have flower seeds and I am looking forward to sowing some Hollyhock seeds along my garden fence. Katie, the owner, sent me some complimentary seeds that I am excited to try. I reordered a black tomato called Black Krim that I grew two years ago. I gave these tomatoes to friends and relatives and they have begged me to grow them again this year. I am looking forward to eating them too as they are less acidic and delicious to eat right off the vine. yum! I have included a picture so you can see what the Black Krim tomato looks like.