Kids in the Garden

Now is a great time to encourage your children outside to find how wonderful and rewarding growing a garden can be. The humble veggie patch is making its way back and you don’t need to have a large yard to grow your own produce. In a courtyard, you can grow produce in pots or with a vertical garden instead of a large veggie patch. So, what are you waiting for, get your kids in the garden today!

Kids in the Garden

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There are many ways to involve your children in the garden.

  • Show them new things every day. There is always something new to see, a different bird to watch, a new sprout, leaves that are changing colour or lay down on the grass and watch the clouds. After exploring they can write a short story, poem or draw a picture of what they have just seen.
  • Let them have fun and get dirty. Let them help you dig the holes for new plants, pick the produce that you have grown, or search for earthworms in the soil. Teach the about how plants benefit us.
  • Have them choose what they would like to grow. Talk about what fruit and vegetables they would like to eat and how long it takes for these plants to grow. Find some recipes that you can use your fresh ingredients in and let your children help you make them.
  • Allow them to have their own independence: a garden or a section of a garden of their own. They could grow their own seeds in a pot, which they can decorate with paints. If they grow flowers, teach them to make arrangements that can be placed on the dining room table. Make sure to encourage them to look after their seeds by watering them and pulling the weeds when necessary.
  • Create your own plant labels. Get your children involved in labeling the plants by either painting rocks, small garden stakes or making their own from supplies around the house of what they are growing.
  • Record what they see. Encourage your children to keep a gardening journal where they can record what they see, starting with when they planted the seeds and following through, measuring how tall the plants grow over the following weeks. If you take photos of them in the garden, they could make a mini book or scrapbook page of what they have been up to.
  • Extend the Learning. Bring in some fun and educational printables to extend the learning! Try our Garden Printable Pack for ages 2-9.

Fun learning activities while gardening with your kids! Download this garden printable pack for ages 2-9!

Before you begin planning your veggie garden you will need to work out a few things:

  • Where will your garden go?
  • What veggies grow best in the current season?
  • What are you going to use for your veggie garden – a pot, make your own patch or a vertical garden?
  • What type of soil and fertilizer are you going to use?
  • How do you plan on watering you veggie garden – will you need watering cans or an attachment for your hose?
  • Then you will need to purchase all the supplies that are needed before you start building

Kids in the Garden 2

Here are some Kid-Friendly Crops that you can easily grow from seed:

  • Sunflowers
  • Lettuce
  • Snow peas
  • Beans
  • Potatoes
  • Shallots
  • Tomatoes
  • Cucumber
  • Pumpkin
  • Basil
  • Carrots

Growing a garden with your children can bring many rewarding results. Our boys have really enjoyed becoming involved in our small veggie garden and as a result are trying new foods.

Have you ever tried growing veggies with your children? What has your experience been like?

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This Post Has 7 Comments

  1. Nicole

    Our family got our little greenhouse up and seedlings planted this weekend. My 9 year old planned out her own 4×8 raised bed space this year. We don’t have a lot of growing room but we like to optimize our planting spaces using raised bed, containers, baskets, and anything else that will work to give us a bigger harvest. Thanks for sharing ways to keep them involved all summer long!

    1. Tauna

      That’s so fun Nicole! Doesn’t have to be a large space to be meaningful. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!

  2. Stacey

    That sounds great Nicole. We also have a very small space and love our raised beds. We also grow miniature fruit trees in pots so we are able to enjoy our own oranges, lemons, blueberries and mangos as well. We use hanging pots for strawberries and tomatoes. Our boys love working in the garden and it has encouraged them to eat more fresh fruit and vegetables.

  3. Shiloh

    I love these tips. We started our garden in an indoor green house. We are doing the “back to eden” garden this year. Lots of wood chips and no watering needed.

    1. Tauna

      I’ve heard of that method! I need to look into it more. We started layering pine needles on our garden beds. Perhaps it’s similar?

  4. Trish

    Last year, our granddaughter LOVED getting into our garden which was in full harvest. Almost three, I thought that this year would be great to show her about planting. Lesson 1…telling her the Coats on the onion protects the onion from the cold doesn’t help. She began peeling away the coat and showing her frustration towards the plants. OK. maybe THIS year is NOT the time to let her help put IN the plants. There’s a season for learning. We may have caught a bad day. Don’t give up. She’ll be like a perennial that will bloom and surprise us each year.

    1. Tauna

      Thanks Trish! There are seasons for learning indeed. 🙂

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