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How to Cultivate a Young Gardener

Want your kids to eat their vegetables? Let them have an edible garden of their own. Here are some tips on gardening with children

Alison Hodgson April 22, 2013

Houzz Contributor. Author of The Pug List: A Ridiculous Dog, a Family Who Lost Everything, and How They All Found Their Way Home http://alisonhodgson.net

Houzz Contributor. Author of The Pug List: A Ridiculous Dog, a Family Who Lost Everything,... More

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Anyone will tell you that "kids these days" aren't spending enough time outside. Gardening with your children is a great way to get them out of the house. Never gardened before? Figuring out how to start can be overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. Here's what you need to get going:

1. Sun
2. Dirt
3. Water
4. Seeds or seedlings

It's really that simple.

First pick a spot that gets at least six hours of sun.

sustainable garden design perth

Bonus if it's near your child's play area.

Alison Hodgson

It's never too early to start. I gave each of my children mini garden tools when they were toddlers, and they loved to dig in the dirt.

All three were encouraged to garden, but only my youngest, Eden, is a gardener in her own right. All of the children were allowed to pick out plants, but Eden was the only one I gave an individual space to when she was 4 years old, and that little shift of ownership, so young, made all the difference. Here she is in front of her garden with her cousin Ren.

It all started on a spring visit to a nursery. I told Eden she could select some flowers for her garden, thinking a couple four-packs, but she commandeered an entire flat — 48 plants! I decided to let her have fun and didn't intervene in any of her choices, some of which looked quite garish in the cart. Once planted they were beautiful, and that was that.

Alison Hodgson

The "Garden of Eden" was one section of a pie-shaped series of planting beds. Eden's plot was about 5 by 9 feet, and most of that was taken up by a tall tepee I made from tree branches tied and wrapped in twine. We covered the inner circle with a light layer of mulch and planted green bean seeds and morning glories at the base of every branch. To be honest, they never got enough sun to fully cover the structure, but we were able to harvest endless beans, and it was still a wonderful fort. Here you can see that as soon as the branches were set, the young gardener moved in and began decorating.

Pat Brodie Landscape Design

In another homeowner's garden, bamboo poles prove they're a good option if you don't have access to tall branches.

Earth Mama Landscape Design

With your garden you can go as big as you want ...

Nature's Realm

... or as small.

Traditional Landscape Provincetown Cottage

Front yard or back — plant wherever the sun is, as with this glorious profusion ...

BaDesign

... or one more contained, as shown here.

Plow & Hearth

Hardwood Raised Bed Garden Kit - $139.99

One raised bed is a great way to start. You can make one economically, but if you're not handy, you can buy one. They come in a range of prices.

Traditional Landscape Traditional Garden

This raised bed is about as simple as it gets. Go with cedar to prevent rotting.

Alison Hodgson

If you don't have the space or energy to create a new bed, that's fine. When we moved into our new house, after our fire, Eden was eager to plant an extensive vegetable garden, but I was worn out. We compromised by buying a slew of seedlings and planted them in with the perennials and shrubs.

Eden wanted strawberries, red peppers, broccoli, kale, pumpkin, watermelon, zucchini and herbs. I wanted tomatoes and basil — my summer garden bottom line.

See the Houzz guides to growing all these summer crops

Alison Hodgson

Here Eden and Oliver were resting after planting strawberries.

With other garden beds I have gone to great lengths to amend the soil, but last year I kept it to digging slightly larger holes than necessary and filling them back in with topsoil and a bit of composted manure. It was the laziest planting ever and, except for the watermelon, everything was fine.

Alison Hodgson

Your kids can even garden in pots.

Tip: Let your child make mistakes. (If you're new to gardening, this could be easy!) Despite my recommendations, Eden packed this planter with far too many herbs, but she insisted. None of them thrived. Lesson learned — no big deal.

Jean Marsh Design

Some Favorite Plants to Try

Nasturtiums are some of my favorite flowering annuals (plants that live only for one season) to mix in with vegetables. They are very common and can be bought at any local nursery. Their leaves are as beautiful as the flower.

Barbara Pintozzi

Snapdragons. Kids love to make these "talk."

Johnsen Landscapes & Pools

Verbena bonariensis is an airy perennial flower in the southern part of the U.S., and though it freely self-seeds, it is not considered invasive.

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Cosmos come in several shades of pink, as well as white and less commonly chocolate brown. They are easily started from seed.

Notice the pavers: Kids love little paths.

Valerie McCaskill Dickman

If you're new to gardening and feeling overwhelmed, go back to the basics: sun, dirt, water and seeds.

Even if your child's plot is 1 square foot and jammed into your landscaping, all that matters is that it belongs to him or her alone. Create a boundary with small rocks and have your child write his or her name on a larger one. It's fun for a kid to be allowed to say, "Mine!"

However small you start, get outside; dig in the dirt, connect with nature and your children, plant some seeds or seedlings, and watch them grow.

Alison Hodgson

Ren and Eden last summer, eager to make kale chips from "Eden's" kale.

Tell us: What's on your list of things to plant this spring and summer?

More:
How to build a raised garden bed

Houzz guides to growing vegetables