2015 was our first year in the courtyard garden project. We are growing many interesting plants. It is always important to grow both flowers and vegetables together because the flowers attract pollinators such as bees, butterflies and other insects. As the garden grows students can learn about pollination and the important factors that create a successful ecosystem. Students can also learn about plant structure and how plants grow. As we add plants to our garden I will include information about them below. Happy reading!
Snap Peas
Snap peas are easy to grow and once they bloom produce pea pods quickly. The plants grow on a main stem and send tendrils out to grab onto anything near it so it can keep climbing. It is important to provide a pole or trellis for the pea plants so they can grow upwards. Peas are generally a spring plant and one of the first you can grow in your garden. If you want to have peas all season you need to keep planting them every couple of weeks. Snap peas are eaten pod and all! They are great as a snack, in a salad or in a stir fry.
Beans
Beans come in many colors and sizes. The most common type is the green bean. Beans can also be yellow, purple or variegated in color. There are two types of bean plants- bush beans and pole beans. Bush beans grow as a low plant. Pole beans grow as a vine and need a trellis to climb. Pole beans can get very tall! The flower on the plants can be different colors depending on the type of bean. Once a bean plant reaches a certain height it produces beans quickly. You need to keep picking the beans or the plant will stop flowering and producing beans. I love to eat beans raw as a snack but there are many ways to cook the beans. You can even let some types of beans dry in their pods and then make soup in the winter.
Cucumbers
Cucumbers are a crunchy treat and easy to grow from seeds. Cucumbers are a vine plant and need a lot of space to spread out. They send out tendrils to grab onto other plants for support. If you want to save space in your garden you can grow cucumbers on a trellis or sturdy pole. The leaves are big and can provide shade for other plants in your garden. Yellow flowers about the size of a half dollar bloom on the vines and then the flower turns into the green vegetable. Cucumbers are great to eat as a snack or in a salad.
Lettuce
Lettuce is one of the easiest vegetables to grow in our garden. You can start seeds early in the spring after the last frost is done. Lettuce likes cool temperatures and so most people grow it in the spring and fall. There are hundreds of different kinds of lettuce and it is fun to grow many varieties so you can make an interesting looking salad! It only takes three to four weeks for the lettuce to be ready to eat. If you want lettuce all summer long you need to keep planting the seeds every couple weeks. You can pick the entire head or just the outer leaves and the plant will keep growing. You can also cut the stem an inch above the ground and a new head of lettuce will start to grow. One of my favorite types of lettuce is green with red polka dots!