On March 2 children and their families learned how delicious—and nutritious—a home-grown salad can be! Ailine Clement of the Wildflower Garden Circle of the Garden Club of Jacksonville shared tips for growing your own lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, and more.
The struggle to get children to eat their vegetables is a familiar one for many parents. Did you know that growing your own veggies can be a great way to get you and your children excited about eating vegetables. Digging, planting, and watering are great hands-on activities, and children can get the same satisfaction and pride as adults in eating something home-grown.
To start their vegetable-growing journey, children planted seedlings of several different kinds of vegetables, like lettuce and microgreens, in a pot to take home and grow! Then they sampled a delicious salad full of ingredients that can be grown here in Jacksonville. According to UF/IFAS, lettuces that grow well in Florida are ‘Black-seeded Simpson’, ‘Red Sails’ and many Salad Bowl varieties. Radishes, green beans, and kale are also great options!
Budding Gardeners is aimed at children in grades 1-6 to discover gardening, conservation, and wildlife through interactive programs, crafts, and outdoor projects. Children and their parents or caregivers collaborate during a morning of healthy and fun activities.
Special Thanks
The Garden Club of Jacksonville thanks the Wildflower Circle for sponsoring Budding Gardeners: Lettuce Plant a Salad.
