Tomatoes and Beans
TOMATOES: Tomatoes are actually fruits (they have seeds inside!), but we use them like vegetables in cooking.
Tomato plants start from tiny seeds. They grow into bushy plants with fuzzy stems and yellow flowers. Each flower turns into a small green tomato that slowly turns red, yellow, or orange as it ripens. A single tomato plant can produce 20-50 tomatoes!
Tomato plants need support — they grow tall and heavy, so gardeners use cages or stakes to hold them up. They love warm, sunny weather.
GREEN BEANS: Beans are one of the easiest vegetables for kids to grow! The seeds are big enough for little hands to plant.
Bush beans grow on short, bushy plants about 2 feet tall. Pole beans grow on vines that climb up poles or fences — some reach 10 feet high!
Bean plants grow white or purple flowers. Each flower becomes a bean pod. Inside each pod are the beans! You can eat the whole pod (string beans) or wait for the beans inside to dry and eat just the beans (kidney beans, pinto beans).
Beans are special: they actually ADD nutrients to the soil instead of taking them all out. They are nature's soil helpers!