The nurturing of a garden provides a tranquil, rewarding experience that profits not just yourself, but all of your family members too. It provides an exceptional chance for your children to grow in responsibility and embrace better nutritional choices.
Your kids can learn valuable life skills such as patience, resilience, and logical planning. Carry on reading to determine the best edible plants to begin with and how to nurture your children’s affection for the natural world.
Top Plant Varieties for Kids
To guarantee a successful harvest, use a pH meter to test the soil’s acidity and prep it accordingly. If this is too much of a hassle for you, have a professionally trained gardener lay the groundwork for you.
Next, you will want to choose plants that grow quickly with minimal care. That way, your kids will reap the fruits of their labour before they lose interest.
Radishes and lettuce are both suitable options, as they mature within a short period. Snap peas and pumpkins are great for beginners too, since they do not require excessive care.
Regardless of which species you settle on, it is best to start with seeds or seedlings instead of transplanting mature plants.
Younger plants tolerate minimal mishandling better. This gives kids the freedom to develop their skills, without worrying about causing significant damage inadvertently.
Plus, watching a seed turn into a delicious snack provides a heightened sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.
Other child-friendly varieties include:
Strawberries
Children universally adore strawberries. These fruits are not just tasty. They’re also relatively effortless to cultivate. What you need is soil that drains well, abundant in organic content, and roughly 6 to 8 hours of daily sunshine.
Irrigating them is straightforward as well. Just keep the soil moist, avoiding saturation. When planting the seeds, ensure sufficient distance is left between each one to allow room for the roots to expand.
Strawberries usually yield fruit in their first growing season, which helps spark the kids’ excitement.
Cherry Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes, loved by younger kids for their sweet, sharp flavour and cute size, also flourish in soil that drains effectively. These plants require a minimum of 6 hours of sun every day.
For their robust growth, water them at the root to maintain dry foliage. These miniature tomatoes also grow quickly. Your kids will be delighted watching them turn from green to red before their eyes.
Basil and Mint
The two versatile herbs add a fresh, aromatic fragrance to any dish. They do not require much space or upkeep either.
Basil flourishes in sunny, warm places, while mint thrives in partial shade and can even grow indoors. Both need regular watering, but not too much.
Your little ones can pinch off the leaves now and then to help them grow bushier and healthier. Within a couple of weeks, they will get to sprinkle them over their pasta or into their smoothies.
How to Create a Kid-Friendly Garden
You need to establish a safe and inviting space for your little ones so they would be more inclined to share in the responsibilities. To begin with, opt for raised beds or containers. They will make it easier for them to plant and pick fruits and vegetables.
These designated receptacles also separate the plants from their surroundings, making your little ones feel like they have their own garden outdoors. In return, this helps keep them motivated.
Regardless of which layout you opt for, keep the area neat and tidy so your kids can move around without tripping.
It would be wise to arrange your plants by height. Designate a specific row for the tallest varieties to guarantee that they do not block the light off their shorter counterparts.
This also allows your youngsters to see the entire setup. This mainly ensures that they do not miss a single plant during their routine upkeep.
Additionally, place stepping stones or mulch along the paths between the containers for a fun, whimsical touch.
Next, add colourful labels to plant holders to teach your children about the different species they care for. The label should have a brief but clear description.
Lastly, remember safety is key here. Secure all sharp tools and keep water containers firmly shut to avoid spills.
Teaching Children About Plant Care
Gardening presents a valuable opportunity to teach children about nature. Start by explaining that, like us, plants need water to function properly. Encourage them to create a simple watering chart to tick off each day. This helps transform this chore into a fun game.
Weeding is also key to maintaining a healthy garden. If left unchecked, those pesky weeds will devour essential nutrients that your crops need to survive. Show your little ones how to spot them and pull them out safely.
Your youngsters can also help keep an eye out for pests and diseases. This will teach them more about the lifecycle of different creatures and instil a greater appreciation for the environment in them.
You can also incorporate science into it by experimenting with light and moisture levels to see what happens.
Even maths comes into play here. Your youngsters will have to calculate how much water every plant needs and measure out the amount administered to each one.
Plus, gardening teaches young children a lot about nutrition. Learning about the health benefits of each fruit and vegetable can inspire them to adopt a more balanced diet.
Making Gardening Fun for Kids
Allowing kids the space to get creative makes gardening more fun, consequently increasing their chances of sticking to it.
They can use colourful markers to label their pots and keep their garden organised while adding their own special touch.
Letting them decorate their tools can also make boring chores more exciting. Furthermore, encourage them to start a plant journal where they can jot down notes and sketch out different fruits and veggies.
They can also use it to write their observations as they watch the seedlings grow, so they would have a cool keepsake documenting their journey.
Celebrate the little wins to keep them excited. Whether it is a bouquet of herbs or the first flower blooming, recognising these moments makes this whole thing more rewarding.
Throw them a mini garden party and give them a shout-out at dinner when you use ingredients that they have grown. These small celebrations instil a sense of pride in them and boost their love for nature even more.
Harvesting and Cooking Together
Here comes the best time for you kids – the time to enjoy the fruits of all their hard work!
Firstly, make sure the fruits are ripe before you go pick them up. Have your kids do it to teach them observational skills and the value of patience.
Ripe tomatoes soften slightly when you squeeze them. Their colour also changes from green to red or orange.
Use a pair of scissors to pinch the branch they’re at. This is to harvest them without squishing them.
This next step is important. Have your kids take part in the meal prep after harvesting. This will allow them to see firsthand their work to completion.
Lastly, when they eat meals that they have whipped up themselves, they will learn about nutrition. Moreover, your kids will feel proud to make something from scratch.
It could even get them to be more curious to try new ingredients. If you take care of picky eaters in your home, you know how much of a blessing that can be.
Conclusion
So, there you have it! Help your kids at what they’re already good at and foster their natural curiosity. This will build a profound connection between them and nature, which will build up useful skills. Moreover, you will instil in them love for natural, healthier foods.
With time, your kids can grow more and more things and thus develop gardening into an enjoyable hobby. So, our advice is to go right ahead and get those containers ready. Have your kids start sowing those seeds and build that gardening habit.
You won’t regret it!