Tag Archives: gardening with kids

Planning a Children’s Garden

We’ve been talking about garden planning recently. Gardening is a great hobby for some of us adults, but have you ever considered making a garden just for your kids?

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When my son was four, he proclaimed that he wanted to have a garden, just like Dada. What joy to see him taking in an interest in growing food! It made my little heart flutter to hear him talking about planting, watering, and weeding.

But, as with many involved children’s activities, the logistics seemed daunting. Where would we put his plot? What could he grow easily? Could we trust a preschooler to successfully grow a garden? What if he kills it all? What if all he wants to do is rub dirt on his belly?

Consider planting a children's garden this year! The mishaps are well worth the fun.

Dirt on the belly. It’s a dangerous thing.

Needless to say, it didn’t take long to decide that the learning process was far more important than the outcome of the garden itself, and we got down to planning.

We decided we would ask him what he wanted to grow in his plot. His interests? Tomatoes, peppers, spinach. Maybe a melon too. Fair enough- those are his favorite edibles from our big garden, so why not let him grow them?

The chickens had conveniently decimated their rectangle of run right near the big garden. This area became my son’s garden patch.

We planned to have our son help with layering the ground to build healthy soil, starting seeds indoors, transplanting, watering, and (maybe) careful weeding. Later, he could help with the harvesting and eating of his homegrown food. 🙂 Sounds good, right?

You’ll be pleased to know that our little experiment turned out well. In late winter, he helped to dump layers of leaves and straw on his garden patch to help enrich his soil. He loved watching Dada start the seeds in early spring, and even helped a little bit here and there. He watered away all through the summer– maybe a little too much– and ate every single cherry tomato that grew by the end of September.

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 (My little guy working away at bringing straw to lay in his garden.)

There may have been a few mistakes- a few plants pulled instead of weeds, broken tomato stems, premature carrots… But he learned a lot and took pride in his patch. I think that I want my kids to enjoy gardening far more than I want them to have a perfect crop each year.

Two years later, he’s already talking about this year’s garden. His three year old sister also wants her own garden– and she wants to paint it purple. 😉

Here are some considerations for planning your own children’s garden:

  • What types of plant would your child like to grow? Try to pick low-maintenance plants, but feel free to try something your child wants, even if you don’t really think it will grow. Letting them pick and plan (within reason) helps to generate enthusiasm.
  • Where would a good location be for the garden? Pick a good growing spot that’s easy for your child to see and get to. Ideally, it should be near where you are working so you can work side by side.
  • What would be a good size for the garden? You want it to be fairly manageable for your little one, but not so limiting that he doesn’t feel like it’s a “real” garden. We did a small patch, maybe about 4′ x 6′- just enough to call his own.
  • What garden tasks are age-appropriate for your child? Try not to pick tasks that are so advanced that they become frustrating. A three year old delights in spraying a hose or using a small watering can. An older child might like the delicate care required for transplanting.
  • How can you make this a positive, bonding experience? You can use this a teaching tool, but try not to fret too much if your child makes mistakes. Your cheerful attitude can turn an accidentally snapped tomato plant from a disappointment into a bolstering learning experience. Likewise, working together should be an encouraging, happy time- not a time of barking orders or miserable complaining.
  • Consider alternate gardens. A flower garden, rock garden, small pond, or herb garden can all be great places for your little one to tend and care for! Be creative and have fun thinking of gardening ideas together. You could go a step further and find ways to decorate your little garden after it’s planted.

Have you made a children’s garden? What did you include? I would love to hear your ideas!

P.S. Don’t forget you can grab your free seed starting printable here.

Go outside, get in the dirt, learn together. Make this the year that you make a garden just for your kids!

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