In spring, we saw how the children at Väätsa Kindergarten planted cucumber and tomato seedlings in the greenhouse. Pumpkins were placed in the garden bed by the fence. Although the summer was cool and rainy, the plants yielded a good harvest.
The first vegetables were available as early as summer, at the beginning of August. However, they didn't make it to the dining table because the children ate them in the greenhouse, said teacher Marianne Tamme.
Today, the children of the Päevalilled group ate a salad made from homegrown vegetables alongside their main course. The children still remember how they grew and planted the seedlings in the greenhouse in the spring. "You put the seed in the soil, give it water, and then it grows. I went to see the plants in summer," said little Amanda.
Vegetables are eaten in the kindergarten every day. When the children go outside, they eat apples, cucumbers, and tomatoes. You can even pick carrots from the garden bed, added Tamme.
The teachers and children at Väätsa Kindergarten don't have to tend the garden, but many do it with joy. "We can teach how fruit grows. From a seed comes a fruit, and what it tastes like in the end," said teacher Kärt Sarapik.
Teacher Kersti Morel was one of the initiators of building the greenhouse. Now that the first harvest has been made, she considers this experiment a success. "It's important for our dining table because store-bought vegetables are not as good and vitamin-rich. Plus, the children got to help with moving soil and watering plants," said Morel.