Gardening is fun to get your kids outdoors, away from their devices, and involved in their food. They can get their hands dirty and learn valuable lessons on care, patience, and how effort turns into a reward. With that said, some vegetables are much easier to grow than others!
Why Garden with Kids?
If you are a long-time gardener, the answer to this is probably relatively straightforward: it’s worth knowing where produce comes from and how to grow it. Added benefits include:
- Getting tons of fresh air.
- Connecting with the earth.
- They can pick snacks from the garden they grew, which is super rewarding.
It’s the perfect combination of fun, education, and something to do while school’s out!
What Can Kids Grow in the Garden?
Feel free to have your kids help through the whole garden, but here are some easy veggies to get them started on their own.
Beans
Beans are one of the easiest starter vegetables to grow with kids. They are pretty hardy in terms of the weather they will withstand, easy to plant, fun to pick, and the yields on green beans usually are pretty substantial.
Whether you plant dwarf beans, runner beans, broad beans, or French beans, plant them in well-draining soil in full sun. You can grow beans in containers or in the ground. They will need something to grow up, like a trellis or netting, so set aside some time for a fun side project to prepare or DIY with the kiddos!
Potatoes
Is there a more versatile vegetable than the potato? They are much-loved by most little ones, and growing potatoes starts like a bit of a science experiment, which is super fun for the kids.
You can start with a seed potato, have them wait for the eyes to grow, and then plant them in either a potato bag or bucket. As soon as the plant reaches the surface of the bag or bucket, you cover them with more soil. You can also do this in the garden by mounding your potatoes, although it may be more labor-intensive for the little ones!
Carrots
If you are looking for something easy to grow in a somewhat temperamental climate, as we have here in Bismarck, carrots are a smart choice as carrots are pretty hardy. With that said, carrots are ideal for the more patient kiddo at heart, given that you can’t see them growing. Still, it is pretty exciting to pick the first carrot when the day comes!
Microgreens
Microgreens are fantastic to try with kids because they grow fast and only require a windowsill. They are, essentially, just really big sprouts, and once your shallow tray of microgreens has matured enough, you can snip the whole thing off with a pair of scissors and start the experiment all over again!
Pumpkins
Pumpkins have big seeds, which make them easy for kids to plant. While you can start them indoors, pumpkins are not ideal for gardening with kids if you are limited in space as the vines do spread quite a bit. However, if you have the space, we highly recommend growing pumpkins!
Pumpkins require patience since they take all season but are they ever neat once they get going! They require a fairly regimented watering schedule, which is no problem since kiddos tend to love to water the garden! Once fall time rolls around, you can carve your pumpkins, make roasted pumpkin seeds, or find other fun ways to enjoy your bountiful harvest!
Cherry Tomatoes
While technically a fruit, cherry tomatoes are a great starter vegetable for kids to grow. They’re compact, can be grown in containers, and have high, snack-worthy yields! They’re great on their own, in salads, and tend to be sweeter than the larger tomato varieties, which makes them more appealing to children.
Take your kids through the process of starting seeds, repotting seedlings, and then transferring them all into bigger containers or their very own garden plot. You can set up a routine for them to prune, water, and keep an eye on their tomato plants, and even create a guessing game out of when their tomato plants will be ready to eat.
Whatever gardening you do with your children, be it planting vegetables or flowers, keep it light and fun, so they are excited to get back to gardening each year! Stop by Plant Perfect for a visit soon, and we will get you and your family all ready for a great gardening season together.