4 Fast-Growing Vegetables for Kids to Learn From: Making Gardening ‘BERISIK’!
Have you ever noticed how short children’s attention spans can seem these days? In our fast-paced world, children are constantly exposed to instant stimulation, often through screens and digital devices. So it is hardly surprising that getting children interested in gardening can sometimes be a challenge—they may lose interest when they have to wait weeks or even months to see the results.
But gardening does not always have to mean waiting for months!
Through BERISIK (Berkebun Itu Asik), or “Gardening Is Fun,” an initiative by Yayasan ALIT, home and school gardening can be turned into an exciting educational adventure for children. The key is choosing plants that grow quickly and are easy to care for.
Why Choose “Express” Vegetables?
Growing vegetables with a short harvesting period—between seven and 30 days—can give children a sense of an instant reward. When a seed sprouts and produces its first shoots within just a few days, their curiosity and sense of achievement can grow along with it.
Gardening also helps children develop patience and fine motor skills through simple activities such as watering plants and moving seedlings. It can also be a useful way to encourage children who are reluctant to eat vegetables. Children may become more interested in healthy food when they have helped grow and harvest it themselves.
4 Vegetables for Little Gardeners
Here are four fast-growing vegetables that are easy and fun for children to explore:
- Microgreens (7–14 days)
Tiny young vegetables, such as baby spinach or mustard greens, can be harvested while they are still at the sprout stage. They are especially practical because they can be grown indoors using simple containers and damp cotton or another suitable growing medium. - Water Spinach / Kangkong (20–25 days)
Known for being a hardy and fast-growing plant, kangkung is an excellent choice for beginner gardeners. Children can grow it in small planting bags or even try a simple water-based growing system using a recycled container. - Red & Green Amaranth (20–30 days)
Amaranth is relatively easy to grow from seed. The bright red color of red amaranth can also make the growing process more visually engaging for children, while allowing them to observe how quickly the plant develops. - Mustard Greens (25–30 days)
With broad leaves and visible day-to-day growth, mustard greens are a great choice for young gardeners. Children can keep a simple growth journal and record how their plants change each day.
From the Garden to the Dining Table
BERISIK does not stop at the garden. The harvest can become the starting point for Olah-Olah, a family cooking activity where children and parents pr
