We are in that wonderful time of year when we are gardening. We always include our kids when we do everything, building a garden with them is just one more thing we do with our kids.
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Starting a Garden with Kids
Gardening is a fun solo endeavor for anyone, but bringing your kids into it will turn into a fun family event that will last all summer long.
Kids love to play outside and want to discover the world around them. Teaching kids how to grow and nurture a garden will help them to eat healthier later on in life.
What Kids can Grow
Let your child help you pick out what they want to grow. If you start off with spinach or kale, which are very easy to grow, their first thoughts are going to be “are you going to make me eat that?”. It is better to let them in on the process from the beginning.
Let your children help pick out the foods you will be growing in their little part of your garden.
Small hands will do better with bigger seeds.
Guide your children towards easier starter plants such as sunflowers which will help bring bees and birds to your garden. These pollinators are an integral part of the gardening process.
Pole beans and snap peas are another great starter plants for children as they grow heartily and quickly. When you harvest them, they will grow more beans, allowing you to have a supply throughout the growing season.
Start from Seeds
If you are starting from seeds, teaching kids how to plant, water, and germinate the seeds is an important first step. They get to watch as the first seedlings appear and this will get them wondering how that happened and what comes next.
Showing your kids how to get the soil just right and what to start the seeds off in is another rewarding experience. You can easily start with seedlings from a nursery. This is a great project for those bored little ones during Spring break right before the planting season starts.
Buy Seedlings
Buying seedlings from your local farmer’s market or nursery is another affordable way to start your young gardener’s experience. It is a fun trip and you can show them how to pick out the heartiest looking seedlings.
You can explain how to make sure your soil is just right for growing plants and pick up the necessary additives so your garden will continue nourishing your plants. When you are helping your little one pick out seedlings, look to make sure they are hearty and not flowering to ensure you get the most from your plants.