Kids Themed Gardens

Themed gardens are a fun way to involve kids in a gardening project 'all of their own'--starting right from the planning stages. They also serve as teaching opportunities kids not only about gardening but also about healthy living and cooking, even history and crafts. And, of course, it goes without saying you'll also get a supply of fresh homegrown food. Here's some idea starters to help you come up with the perfect theme for your child's garden.

Alphabet Garden:

See if you can find a plant for each letter of the alphabet...from artichokes to zucchini. If you have enough room to plant 26 different plants, this is a great garden for kids. Label each plant with the letter it stands for (Sometimes you might have to use your imagination when finding plants to fit the letter...but don't forget about their Latin names as well!)

 

Craft Garden:

With just a little research, you can find lots of vegetables that can be used for dyes...like beets, onions, even carrots. Fill up your garden space with plants that can be used for dyeing yarn, t-shirts, even eggs!

Add vegetables such a potatoes and make potato stamps to decorate note cards and homemade wrapping paper.

Plant flowers with varieties of flowers that are small, colorful and easy to press to make different kinds of crafts.

Proud American Garden:

Plant a garden that blooms in red, white and blue ...typically people think of red. white and blue flowers, but don't stop there. What about red tomatoes, blue green beans, and white gourds? See how creative you can get.

Sunflower Variety Garden:

With so many varieties of sunflowers--from giant to small, you can have fun with this one. Plant several different kinds of sunflowers. In the fall, harvest and roast your seeds.

Sunflower Forest:

Another way to plant a sunflower garden is to find sunflower seeds that grow tall, and plant them like a forest with a hideaway inside. To do this, leave a circular space in the center of your 'forest' and plant sunflowers all around the circle. As you move outward, leave a path to access the hideaway.

For added 'secrecy' you can add morning glories between the sunflowers that encircle the hideaway. They'll grow up the sunflowers. Once the sunflowers are tall enough, loosely tie some of them together to form a 'teepee' of sorts in the middle.

Miniature Garden:

Find the smallest varieties of vegetables you can find--like grape tomatoes and tiny pumpkins and small sweet peppers and grow a tiny garden.

Pizza Garden:

Plant all the toppings needed for a pizza--tomatoes, onions, peppers, basil, rosemary, oregano and garlic. When the vegetables are ready to harvest, have a family pizza party and use your freshly picked bounty for pizza toppings!

The possibilities are nearly endless...

What about a bee garden?Or a garden fashioned after a favorite storybook? Or a favorite color? Or a tea-time herb garden?

If you try something creative and unique, let us know what you did! We'd be glad to share it with everyone. Submit it here.

 

More about gardening with kids....

Choosing kid-friendly seeds to plant

Growing plants from food in your kitchen

Growing upside down tomotoes

Planting potatoes in a garbage can

Starting a worm compost bin