Get Your Kids into Vegetable Gardening | Gardener's Path

Kids and gardening go together like chocolate cake and ice cream, and gardening with kids can be easier and less expensive than you might think.

By using simple, proven techniques and taking advantage of recycled and upcycled materials, you can create a beautiful garden that will provide hours of entertainment and education for your kids – and just might get them eating more vegetables, too!

When most of us think of vegetable gardens, we think of long rows of plants in a large brown square at the back of a huge backyard. The idea of starting and maintaining such an area with your kids is rather intimidating, even for experienced gardeners!

Take heart – vegetables can be grown anywhere that you have room for a container or two, like a sunny porch or balcony, a wide staircase, or even a south-facing window. Try to choose a sunny patch that won’t be damaged by a little overenthusiastic watering.

Container gardening is ideal for kids, as children can explore and harvest from all sides without disturbing a surrounding garden or compacting the soil.

It also lets your young ones claim specific plants as theirs and theirs alone, which will encourage them to take responsibility for the well-being of their leafy friends.

If you have the space for a dedicated vegetable garden and prefer to grow there instead of in containers, consider planting a raised bed that is no more than three feet square.

If you are growing plants with very young children or if your garden will be up against a wall or a fence, make it only two feet deep.

Little arms will be able to reach all the plants with ease in a small bed, and raised beds help remind little feet to stay off the soil to avoid damaging