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A teacher at the local school has asked for some advice. She has a small raised bed and wants to plant some veg. This is for children aged 4 to 5. She needs to grow from seed, to teach the children how things grow. She wants to put the seeds outside, and to be able to show some progress before we break up for Summer on 23rd July. I had in mind to split the bed into four sections, so some of the older children at school can learn about crop rotation. I would appreciate your ideas, please?

Well it needs to be quick!  Raddish - esp french breakfast, lettuce and leafy stuff like rocket, maybe some dwarf beans, peas for pea shoots, spinach or chard and some spring onions...

Leafy stuff certainly grows fastest - rocket and mizuna. At a pinch I would say it's a shame she has left it so late!  French beans... ?

in that position i think i would cheat and use some plants as well courgette etc  perhaps to show results for school year end even if it means using the here's one i made earlier line.

If someone can get in over the summer, or autowatering rigged then a pumpkin or winter squash .... give the kids something to come back to...

Yes it is a bit late for seeds, apart from the quick growing salads.

However there are some tricks to growing in schools...one is to put some early spuds in 2-3 weeks before you break up, and they will be grown enough to be harvested a week after you get back in Sept. Pop some pumpkins and squashes in now, and they will be there again when they get back.

Buy one mature tomato and take all the sideshoots off, root them and you can give them all a small tomato plant to take home for the summer.

Loads of resources on the FFLP website for doing activities to teach about crop rotation etc...

http://www.foodforlife.org.uk/Resources/Educationresources/Resourcelist/tabid/78/cid/3/smid/445/tmid/443/Default.aspx

It is a good time for sowing beans and courgettes though not sure they will crop before mid july.     A few boughten plants might make it.   Dwarf bean Speedy is supposed to crop in 7 weeks and I have in the past found Teepee is even quicker.

The problems will be that they will need to be fed watered and weeded during the summer holidays.  Do you have any volunteers?   

Suttons have what they call their speedy veg collection
http://www.suttons.co.uk/Gardening/Vegetable+Seeds/Featured+Vegetable+Seed+Ranges/Speedy+Veg+Seeds/list.htm

Carrots might be a good idea because hopefully they will be there when they get back in the autumn.

I help with a new school garden and would definitely think about autumn stuff as well as fast-growing early summer things. And plants that cope with the amount of water 4-5 year-olds think plants need. Pumpkins are great, as are any veg that's a different colour than ones in the shops. Purple or yellow beans, for example. First earlies grown over the holidays are a really good idea, if you have someone in to water.

I'd also cheat and buy a couple of plants, or see if there are any parents with plots. The school I help at has had a lot of support from parents, who are now being pestered into growing things at home.