Vegetable Gardening with Kids

Do you want your children to fall in love with gardening,
but aren't sure where to start?
Here's a list of a dozen ideas to help get your started

1. Give them garden-themed gifts--ie, their own pint-sized shove or rake and gardening gloves. They'll love to come out and help you with their own special tools.

2. Take them on a trip to visit a local nursery. Explore the wide variety of seeds available and them them pick a few of their own to come home and plant.

 

3. Plant something weird...purple carrots, gourds, round cucumbers, etc...things out of the ordinary that you can't easily go out and buy.

4. Give them a plot of land...or a container, or a corner of your garden. Something they can call their own. Let them plant it and take care of it...with help and guidance from you.

5. Plant a themed garden. For example, plant a 'minis' garden filled with cherry and grape tomatoes, mini pumpkins and peppers, etc. Or if their favorite food is spaghetti, why not plant an Italian garden filled with onions, tomatoes, oregano, basil, and garlic. See this for more themed-garden ideas.

6. Take them to a farmer's market. Talk to some of the farmers. Let them pick out some fresh produce to bring home.

7. Teach them to cook...with the produce you harvest out of the garden. This will build skills in your children while also teaching them good, healthy lifestyle tips.

8. Stage an experiment in the kitchen to see what will grow. Use common ingredients (like celery seeds, a clove of garlic, a potato, etc.) and plant them. Here's more information on growing plants from food in your kitchen.

9. Let them start their own "seed company" using seeds from fruits and vegetables that they grow and creating their own seed packets to package them in.

10. Grow a garden in a totally unconventional way...like upside down tomotoes, or a raised bed garden using bales of straw, or potatoes in a garbage can, or a salad tower.

11. Start a worm compost bin with them as you educate them about the importance of compost in the garden.

12. Let them start their own 'produce company' and sell their vegetables to friends and family.

Need more ideas? Here's some help choosing kid-friendly seeds to plant.

Ready to carve your own chicken into your pumpkins this year? Here's how (with a free pumpkin stencil to use).