Summer is on its way! Are you already anticipating that your kids will be bored after the first week and need to find a creative, productive activity to get your kids off the couch and outside? Gardening is a great way to help kids be active and enjoy being in the outdoors. It’s not too late to start with a garden either. My daughter, Little E, loves digging in the dirt and helping to grow our plants. Gardening also teaches kids how to work together, has lots of great science lessons like plant life cycles, and encourages responsibility. Here are answers to a few common questions that parents might ask about gardening with their kids.
How do I get started with a garden? My husband plants a huge garden but if you have never gardened before, I suggest starting small. If you do not have a lot of space, you may wish to do a container garden to get started. Buy several large flower pots and potting mix to fill them. If you have space in your yard, you could dig up a 6’ x 6’ or larger space for the garden. Make sure the space is in a sunny spot and drains water well. Check the spacing recommendations on your plants. Plant the plants in rows as deep and as far apart as the recommendations.
What plants are good for kids? Plants that are easy to care for are best for kids. If you are doing a container garden, plants such as cherry tomatoes, greens (lettuce, chard, and collards), bell peppers, bush cucumbers (in a big pot with a trellis to climb), or herbs are great. Kids can pick the vegetable off the plant and eat it right then and there!
In a garden, all the plants mentioned above are great. We love tomatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, and watermelon. You can also try radishes, carrots, and cantaloupe. We have also tried jack ‘o lantern pumpkins. Another kid-friendly plant is a blueberry bush. These don’t take up a lot of room but usually yield a bounty of blueberries! We back a truck up to ours so we can reach the top and usually have a snack as we pick!
How do I maintain the garden? Make sure your garden gets plenty of water. For a container garden, you can water it in the evenings if the weather gets too dry. You don’t have to buy anything special; just use watering cans, buckets, milk jugs, even cups. Instruct your kids to pour 4 cups of water on each plant or the appropriate amount of water from a watering can.
We usually use sprinklers to help water our garden a couple times a week. Kids can help set up the sprinklers and they will definitely have fun running through them while watering the garden. One year, Little E and my young nephews stripped down to their undies and pull ups and had a blast getting soaked in the sprinkler. Make sure your kids don’t run all over the plants though!
Teach your kids how to weed the garden too. They can learn the difference between the plants and any weeds that come up. Weed about once a week at the beginning and as needed after plants become established. Kids can use hoes and shovels to dig up the weeds or pull them up with their hands.
Now enjoy your harvest! You won’t have to be reminded to harvest your veggies. Your kids will love watching them grow and want to pick them green! Little E and my nephews are usually so eager to pick the veggies that we get a couple green ones. Teach them how to know when the vegetable is ripe and ready to be picked. Let them pick a few vegetables that are not ripe and cut them open. Taste them and let the kids see how the veggies aren’t good before they are ripe. When the veggies are ready, pick them and enjoy!
