Fun and Easy Tips for Gardening with Kids
Looking for ways to get your kids eating new foods and spending time outside? Try gardening and see what a great time you’ll share as a family. They’ll learn about the care of, planning for, nurturing and enjoying the benefits of a garden. Kids are generally more likely to want to eat fruits and vegetables if they have a hand in tending to them and you don’t have to be an expert to grow a simple garden.
As a Together Counts partner, we’ve rounded up a few basic tips for your family to get started today. Whether you only grow a few herbs or have an entire garden of fresh vegetables, your family garden will become a place of fun and knowledge.
- Gardens need an area with plenty of sunlight. They should also be in a place that’s easy to get to with a sprinkler or garden hose.
- If your garden needs protection from animals, put up a small wire fence to keep out rabbits, deer and other critters.
- If you live in an apartment or are short on space, grow a garden in planters on your porch, patio in a windowsill box or try growing a vertical garden.
- Introduce your kids to herbs by planting parsley, chives, mint or dill. This can even be done indoors near a window.
- Find nearby community gardens for families with children.
- Check out farmers’ markets to learn more about local fruits and vegetables.
- Choose the right plants for your local climate. Some fruits and vegetables grow better in certain parts of the country than others. When you shop for plants, ask what grows best in your area. Search online to find in which “plant hardiness zone” you live.
- Planting and weeding are great activities to get children outdoors. They create a break from TV, video games and digital tablets. Make sure your kids leave their smart phones indoors.
- Encourage your family to put their hands in the earth. What may seem like a chore to you might be a lot of fun for your kids. If your kids are fussy about getting their hands dirty, there are many children’s gardening gloves and aprons on the market.
- Be careful when weeding the garden with your kids. Show children how to gently pull up weeds, taking care that the plants you want to keep are not harmed.
Do you already have a family garden? Please share your gardening tips with us in the comments!
Katy is a Mom and food writer who loves to cook! She has a strong belief in the power of family meals. This post originally appeared on The Power of Family Meals.
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