What Grows in a Garden?
Gardens can grow so many delicious things! Let us look at some favorites.
Tomatoes are one of the most popular garden plants. They start as tiny yellow flowers that turn into green fruits. The fruits slowly ripen and turn bright red (or yellow, orange, or even purple depending on the variety!). Fun fact: tomatoes are actually fruits, not vegetables, because they have seeds inside.
Carrots grow underground. The orange part we eat is actually the root! When you pull a carrot out of the ground, you can see the thin root hairs on its sides and the green leafy top sticking above the soil.
Lettuce and spinach are leafy greens that grow fast — you can start eating leaves just a few weeks after planting! Gardeners often plant them in early spring because they like cool weather.
Strawberries grow on low plants close to the ground. The white flowers turn into green berries that slowly turn red and sweet. Birds love strawberries, so gardeners sometimes put nets over the plants to protect them!
**Think About It:** When you eat a salad, you might be eating leaves (lettuce), roots (carrots), fruits (tomatoes), and seeds (sunflower seeds) — all different plant parts!