Teaching kids to grow courgettes #31daysofactivities

For today’s #31daysofactivities post we have a post from Morgan at BPA Free Kids, who is sharing with us a very informative post on teaching kids to grow courgettes. So get your kids ready for a bit of gardening. Let’s dive into the post.

Why growing your own courgettes is important

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Growing your own courgettes is a great way to get children involved in gardening. It can be a very fun and rewarding experience for them. Courgettes are easy to grow and can be grown in pots, on the ground or on a trellis.

Growing your own courgettes with the children is important for a variety of reasons. As well as providing you with fresh courgettes, it can encourage your children to eat what they’ve grown and it helps to teach them where their vegetables come from. If you grow them alongside some tomatoes or a little herb garden you can save some money on organic vegetables as well.

How to plant courgettes in a garden

Plant the seeds indoors during March-May 1/2 inch deep on their side in a small pot of compost. The pots can be left on a windowsill or if warm enough (15-20 degrees celsius) in a greenhouse. Give the seeds a good water after sowing and keep the soil moist but not sodden.

Seedlings usually start appearing within 7-14 days (we find this part so exciting!) Courgettes are relatively quick to grow so children don’t have to wait too long to see their handy work starting to come into fruition.

You can use a propagator for your seeds if you would like although we usually find we don’t need to as long as you have a sunny windowsill. Alternatively you could buy the courgette plants ready to plant out if you have not been successful in growing your own seeds.

How to care for your courgette plants

Courgette plants are a type of summer squash that are grown to harvest the fruit. They are related to cucumbers and melons and pumpkins.

The best way to care for your courgette plants is by watering them regularly. The best time to water your courgette plants is in the morning, when it is cooler and they will not dry out as quickly. Try to also avoid getting the leaves wet while the sun is on them as this can sometimes scorch them a little.

In my experience courgettes are one of the easiest vegetables to grow and we tend to grow a few plants each year. My children love to watch and look after their plants and when they are ready for harvesting the children take great pride in picking their courgettes for tea.

For best results we always plant them in a grow bag or in a large pot filled with fresh compost. You could also use a raised bed or any other container you can fill with compost.

Courgettes grow best outdoors in a sunny spot with good quality soil or compost around them. They can also benefit from a regular dose of tomato food such as Tomorite.

The benefits of growing your own courgettes

Growing your own courgettes is rewarding, cheap and fun. You can do it in your garden or on a balcony. It’s a great way to teach children where food comes from and encourage fussy eaters to try something new! It is rewarding, cheap and fun to grow them yourself and if you choose to grow some tomatoes too you’ll have half of the ingredients to make a ratatouille!