Unit 5: Plants Feed Us

Humans and a variety of other living things depend upon plants for their food. Youth will learn more through garden observations this week. In this unit, youth will learn:

How to properly harvest and use vegetables from the garden.
Youth will observe insects and other creatures that visit the garden and depend upon plants.

This is the last unit! Once you are finished, please complete the post-assessment (linked below) to show us what you've learned.

Garden Harvesting

As your garden grows, it is time to harvest! Watch the video for tips on harvesting lettuce. For your peas, you can harvest small shoots and add them to salads, as well as the peas pods. You can try eating the whole pod of snap peas, or shell them and eat the seeds inside. Enjoy!

Preparing Peas

You can eat fresh peas from the garden while they are raw, but they are also great when you cook them. Here are some recipes if you need them.

Sauteed Sugar Snap Peas

5 Minute Sugar Snap Peas

Harvesting Tips

Peas

For peas with edible pods, harvest when pods are well-rounded, but before seeds are more than half of their full size. You can use scissors to cut the stem of the pea just above each pod. Peas are best when eaten fresh.

Tomatoes

For the best flavor, allow the fruit to ripen on the plant. The color will be bright and the tomato should have thin and glossy skin. Many tomatoes are red, but they come in other colors such as yellow and orange too. Harvest by cutting the stem just above the fruit.

Kale & Collards

Harvest the outer, older leaves when they reach a length of 8-10 inches. If you only harvest the older leaves, the plant will continue to grow and produce more leaves that you can eat later. You can store leaves in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Basil & Herbs

Use scissors to cut the stems of the basil. You will use the leaves to flavor your food. Leave the plants in place to continue growing. Place cut stems in a cup of water if you are storing them. Leave basil on the counter because it will turn black when chilled in the refrigerator.

Lettuce

For leaf lettuce, pick the older, outer leaves when they are 4-6 inches long. Heads of lettuce can be harvested when they are moderately firm and before flowering stalks form. Wash the leaves and eat them soon after harvesting for the best taste.

Squash

Pick squash after the remaining flower petals on the end of the fruit are small and brown and can be easily removed. The fruit is typically around 5-6 inches when it is time to harvest. Wear gloves because squash plants and fruit are prickly.

Garden Insect Observation Checklist.pdf

Plant Visitors

In addition to feeding us, plants are food for many other creatures. In unit 3, we learned how plants gather nectar from flowers. Many other insects depend on plants as food.

What visitors can you find in your garden? Use your powers of observation to see who else might be visiting your plants. Use the checklist to see what insects you can find. How many do you see in your yard or garden?

What other creatures do you find in the garden? Are there other animals there? When do you see these visitors?

Want More?

You can build a bug hotel to give bees and other insects a place to live in your garden. These insects are beneficial to have around because they assist with pollination. Check out the activity from NC 4-H below.

Bee Hotel.pdf

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