A Kid's Guide to Vegetable Gardens

Getting your hands dirty in the garden is a fun way for kids to learn about nature and science. Starting a vegetable garden at home with your family provides an engaging hands-on activity that teaches responsibility. Children will love watching seeds sprout into seedlings and nurturing their plants as they grow, and they'll also gain a firsthand understanding of where food comes from while bonding with family over this shared experience. Growing a vegetable garden is also a great way to enjoy the outdoors.

Getting Started

Picking the perfect spot for your vegetable garden is key. You'll want a location with at least six hours of sunlight daily. Avoid placing your garden near big trees, since their roots will compete for nutrients. Tools like trowels, rakes, shovels, and gloves will make gardening easier. You'll also need stakes and trellises for climbing or top-heavy vegetables like beans or tomatoes. Test your soil to see if it needs any amendment to help plants grow, and mix in compost or manure to improve the soil texture and nutrients if needed. Rake the soil and remove rocks, trash, and weeds before planting. Raking can also help to aerate the soil and improve drainage.

Choosing What to Plant

When starting a garden with kids, choose vegetables that are relatively easy to grow and ones that kids will want to eat. Tomatoes are one of the most popular homegrown vegetables. To make things easier, choose grape, cherry, or plum varieties that don't require staking for support. Plant them in warm soil that gets six to eight hours of sun every day, then water them regularly and evenly. Other kid-friendly options are carrots and radishes. These grow quickly and can be harvested in about 30 days. Kids love pulling them from the ground when the taproots start showing above the soil. You might also try growing strawberries, a tasty fruit that grows close to the ground. They spread via runners, so give them adequate space. Kids will be able to watch as they flower and develop fruit, and then, they'll be able to pinch off ripe red berries to enjoy.

Planting Your Garden

Once you've chosen what to plant, you'll need to decide whether to start from seeds or opt for seedlings from a nursery. If you're starting from seed, follow the instructions on the seed packets to make sure they're planted at the right depth and spacing. As a rule of thumb, plant seeds two to three times as deep as the seed's width. Then, pat down the soil on top and water well. Planting seedlings is much the same process; leave adequate space between each row of plants, dig your holes, fill in soil over the roots, and water well. Be sure to place the plants that will grow tallest toward the back or middle of your garden bed, so they don't block the sun from reaching shorter plants. Once you've finished planting, kids can make plant markers for your garden by decorating craft sticks.

Maintaining Your Garden

Caring for your garden is essential for a bountiful harvest. Water vegetables daily: Kids can have fun with this task by using a watering can or the garden hose with a gentle sprayer. Weed weekly so the weeds don't steal nutrients and sunlight from your plants. Make a game of checking plants and flowers for pests like aphids or cabbage worms. Safely control pests with organic methods like soap spray, neem oil, or hand removal. Prune or thin plants as needed. For a more educational experience, engage kids to keep a journal, tracking the plants' growth by measuring them and sketching what they look like over time.

Harvesting and Beyond

Kids will feel proud when it's time to pick ripe fruits and vegetables from their own garden. Teach them to identify when crops are ready by looking for signs like size, color changes, or plumpness. Then, get kids excited to eat their harvest by involving them in preparation. Let them rinse off the dirt and separate and count cherry tomatoes or snap peas. Older kids can help cut produce for salads, soups, or snacks. Encourage adventurous eating and sampling of their hard work. Then, once gardening season is over, compost any plant debris to help prepare the soil for next year. Kids can also start mapping out what they want their next garden to look like.