A Hy-Vee program is returning to help parents get their children to eat their vegetables, albeit under a different name.

Hy-Vee’s children’s gardening program kicks off with a planting day from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Hy-Vee dietitian Jen Haugen formed the Sprouts: Get Out and Grow program in 2011, but Hy-Vee corporate changed the name to Hy-Vee One-Step Garden, which was inspired by a brand of potatoes Hy-Vee sells.

Plans to start planting in early May were squashed by last-minute snow and rain the county received.

“It’s been a lot wetter than usual,” Haugen said.

Wednesday’s planting is free and open to children ages 4 through 12. Children must bring a parent and are encouraged to resister beforehand at 507-437-7625. Gardening season is set for mid to late June.

The program exposes children to gardening and healthy home-grown foods to expand their palates and improve their eating habits, which organizers hope will promote a lifetime of healthier eating. When the children grow, pick and make their own food, Haugen has said they’re much more likely to taste it.

“They are more likely to eat those fruits and veggies because they were involved in the entire process,” Haugen said.

Haugen grew up gardening and wanted children to know what it was like. She said the program was designed for children to know where there food comes from.

According to Haugen, about 30 children typically attend every Wednesday and about 350 attend overall. Groups from the Austin Public School’s Kid’s Corner and the YMCA summer program typically attend. The program will usually lasts nine weeks, and each Wednesday class lasts about 90 minutes.

Since it started in Austin, the program has spread to at least 50 other stores, according to Haugen.

“I feel happy that other kids are benefiting,” Haugen said.

The children who participate end up planting and watering seeds, weeding, harvesting, washing and cutting the produce, and making a recipe at the end. Haugen said the kids have a lot of fun with the activities, and even have a lot of fun with weeding.

“That’s really the key, to get them excited about what they’re growing,” Haugen said.

—Jason Schoonover contributed to this report