Yoselin To start a garden itself is a major task, and it can be that much more overwhelming to start gardening with kids.
From monitoring the weather conditions to fighting pests, there’s just so much to gardening that it is completely understandable to feel overwhelmed. I believe this is the reason why many people choose not to bother with it.
But you and your child can implement systems that are low-effort and can help you maintain a low maintenance garden that will abundantly grow.
My daughter was just starting to walk when I had chosen to start my garden. Too young to help and understand what was going on.
But she did join in when she could.
She’d see me pull weeds, and then she would “pull weeds” as well. Except those “weeds” she was pulling were my growing veggie plants. Yup. She did it quite often. And it’d be even worse when she’d see “something,” aka a veggie, growing on a plant. She would, in fact, also pull it off the plant prematurely.
Despite my disappointment to how many plants I lost to her 11-month old mighty grip, I taught her to be gentle with plants. And that you only pull the ones on the ground, not the plants growing on the garden beds.
At almost 2 years old, she now knows to fight the temptation to yank plants and premature veggies.
By exposing her and gardening with her, she learned about taking care of plants. She has also learned that you can eat said plants. What a privilege that she’ll be able to say as she gets older that she grew up in a house where you could grab your produce from the backyard.
My intention was not to start a garden with my child, but the timing became so.
How Gardening Helps Kids with Eating Better
By involving children in gardening, it allows them to develop a deeper connection and appreciation for the food they grow. This hands-on experience can increase their interest in trying new fruits and vegetables, as they have a sense of ownership and pride in the produce they have grown themselves.
Gardening also provides an opportunity for children to learn about the entire food production process, from planting seeds to harvesting and preparing the food. This knowledge can help them understand the value of fresh, nutritious foods and the importance of a balanced diet.
Furthermore, gardening can expose children to a wider variety of fruits, vegetables, and herbs that they may not have encountered otherwise. This exposure to different flavors and textures can expand their palate and make them more open to trying new foods.
5 Things You Need to Do to Begin Gardening with Kids
This kids guide to gardening will be as thorough as can be to help parents fully understand the task ahead of them to teaching your children about gardening.
1. Prepare Your Child For The Task Ahead
Kids love predictability.
Preparing and teaching your child or children about gardening in advance by reading books about gardening and how plants grow.
Books such as Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt is a good place to start.
There are also great resources on Youtube for children, such as Blippi and SciShow Kids.
Once you’ve covered the basics with your child, give them a notebook so we can move on to the next step.
2. Identify Which Zone You Are In
I am writing this post under the assumption that most of the people reading this are from the United States. But even if you’re not from the U.S., this will all still be helpful.
For the United States, depending on where you live, you can be somewhere between zone 3 to zone 10.
What are zones?
Zones refer to specific geographical regions that share similar climatic conditions.
These zones are typically defined based on factors such as temperature, frost dates, and growing seasons.
The purpose of zoning is to provide gardeners with a standardized system to understand the climate of a particular area and determine which plants are most likely to thrive there.
The most commonly used zoning system is the USDA Hardiness Zone Map, which divides the United States into different zones based on average annual minimum temperatures.
You can use the image above to get an idea which zone you are in. If you’re not sure, use the USDA website and this link to find which zone you are in.
3. Identify Your Growing Season Length
Your growing season, like your zone, differs.
Luckily for you, once you know which zone you are in, you can figure out how long your growing season is.
The growing season is not quite as official as the USDA Hardiness Zone.
Growing season means how many months you have of warm weather before it freezes.
To figure out your growing season, determine your last frost date. Then identify your first frost date.
Typically, your growing season is as long as it takes in between those two dates.
For example, I live in zone 9. Our last frost date would be around February, whereas our first frost date would be around December. That means that our growing season is extremely long, about 9-10 months.
Whereas zone 3, for example, has a growing season of 4.5 months. Think those areas closest to Canada.
So what does that mean for people in zone 3?
This means that if you live in zone 3, your spring/summer/fall garden may be very short-lived.
4. Prepare for Each Season Differently
Gardening also follows all four seasons, no matter where you live.
I will use zone 9 as an example, as that is where I live.
Earlier, we determined that our last frost date is in February. So around January, I would begin sowing seeds indoors. These plants will be transferred in the garden once the last frost date has passed.
This is how we start our Spring garden.
During the summer, we go up to 115 degrees. This means that even though I can still do succession planting, I will need to use a shade cloth that will only allow a percentage of sun to the plants beneath it.
Then once summer starts cooling a little bit, I can do a second round of summer crops that I know will mature before the weather goes below 80 degrees. Such as summer squash and green beans.
Once fall hits in November (remember, zone 9!), it’s time to plant quick-maturing plants such as greens, carrots, radishes, and beets (this means that they’ll be ready to harvest in about a month; right before it gets colder). It is also time to plant winter crops. Such as garlic and onions.
In this example, you have seen how each season requires you to handle your garden differently.
5. Design/Sketch Your Garden Layout
Alright, you have taken care of all the information and knowledge needed to begin gardening with kids. You have prepared as much as you could mentally for the task ahead.
Your kids are more than ready now.
Now, it’s time to get to work!
Sit at the kitchen table and begin planning and drawing out your garden!
Make a list of veggies that are regularly consumed at home. You can start there.
Then, search your zone’s crop schedule. You can google something like “Zone 3 Planting Calendar Guide.”
If you’d prefer, you can also go to a local plant nursery to learn more about which plants to grow in whichever season you choose.
Once you have obtained your list of veggie plants, say, for the Spring, you need to know how many inches apart they need to be.
This is crucial because some plants, like squash, can grow very big. And cucumbers grow in a vine, so you will need to plan accordingly for the needs of different plants. You most definitely do not want your plants competing for nutrients because they were planted too close to each other.
At this point you should have the following information: Which plants you’ll grow, where you’ll plant them, and how far apart they should be.
By having these three pieces of information, you can design a layout of where you’ll grow your desired plants and how apart they should be.
Have fun with the sketch. If you have multiple children, have each child design their own and have them explain their reasonings why they drew it how they did. And then explain why it would or would not work.
Get Your Supplies Ready
Okay you have completed the 5 steps above. Now, it’s time to get items kids need for gardening. Once you have these supplies ready, you can begin gardening with children!
Below is a list of things you’ll need to start a garden with kids.
Garden Bed
There are so many garden beds out in the market, so I would suggest choosing one on your level of commitment and resources aka money.
You can also DIY a garden bed by getting some wood at Lowe’s or Home Depot. We did this ourselves and it costs significantly less than a store-bought garden bed.
The beauty of a DIY garden bed is that you can personalize it and have your children help you out. It’s not as hard as you may think it is.
A Beautiful Mess has a DIY Garden Bed that you can do with your children. You can choose to paint it the color of your liking and can be as big or small.
This is where you will need to know your level of commitment. The size of your garden and/or garden bed will determine which garden bed you will either purchase or build.
I bought a garden bed at Walmart because it was on clearance and that’s how I began my vegetable garden. Throughout the seasons, I added another garden bed, and then another, and another. Within a year, I went from one garden bed to six.
Dirt
As you start a garden with kids, I recommend buying soil from the store. There are many variety of soils available, but really, any soil works, so long as it’s packed with nutrients.
Once you’ve gotten the hang of things, you can begin creating your soil mix of compost, Earthworm casting, and perlite.
I recommend purchasing your soil “premade” so that you don’t overwhelm yourself even further with yet another task.
Also, garden beds, depending on which type you get, can be very deep, as seen in the garden bed in the image above.
A little pro-tip for this: fill your garden bed with sticks, leaves, logs, grass clippings. Fill it up with these items and then leave the top 4 inches of the garden bed to add your nutrient-packed soil. This reduces costs because you don’t have to fill up the whole garden bed with store-bought soil, which can get pretty expensive.
Gardening Gloves
With pulling weeds, planting seeds, and pruning plants, this will all require you to get your hands dirty.
Make a family trip to the store to choose which gardening gloves best suit you and your kids.
I have personally seen paw patrol gardening gloves!
Pruning Shears
I swear I go through pruning shears so often! I have bought like 4 at this point.
Learn from my mistakes and invest in a good quality pair of pruning shears and bring them indoors when you’re done using them.
You can store them in the garage, shed, or give them a designated spot inside your house.
This will guarantee they stay clean and rust-free so they can last longer.
Gardening Kit
Get your children involved with the dirt, planting, and the maintaining of the garden.
Children’s gardening tools are a must in our household.
Every time I grab the rake or shovel, my daughter always wants to take it from me. Obviously that won’t work because she is young and adult-sized gardening tools are too big for her to do anything with them.
This is where I redirect her to her own tools, so she can be just like mama, and help out in whichever way she can.
Also, when children have their designated items, it helps them be more independent.
Plants/Seeds
Here is the fun part! (IMO)
It’s time to purchase your plants/seeds for your garden!
You can opt to buy starter plants for a higher chance of success in the garden. Lowe’s, Home Depot, Tractor Supply Store, or your local nursery are great places to get your starter plants.
You can also look for local vendors on Facebook marketplace.
As for seeds, most local stores sell vegetable seeds.
But if you want different varieties of traditional plants, such as tomatoes, which have hundreds of varieties of tomatoes, it’ll be best to browse and buy online. In stores, you will find the most common tomatoes, such as cherry tomatoes, roma tomatoes, or beefsteak tomatoes. If you want any other variety of tomatoes, you will most likely have to search and purchase them online.
OPTIONAL: Irrigation System
This item is totally optional and will require slight more work to set it up.
But the rewards are definitely worth it!
With an irrigation system, you can just set it up and kinda forget about watering your plants. This allows for your garden be slightly low-maintenance. Kinda set-it-and-forget-it.
If you have the funds, this item is a must in the garden!
Conclusion
After you have gathered all your information needed for a successful garden, and gathered all the items kids need for gardening, it is only a matter of time before you are (literally) enjoying the fruits of your labor.
With this kids guide to gardening and learning the benefits of gardening with kids, it is my hope that you and your child can begin your kids garden and learn all about the process to build a garden and what it takes to grow fruit.
Should you grow your garden organic or not, teaching your children about gardening is definitely something that will benefit them in the long.
Comment below if you’ve tried gardening with kids? How did it turn out?
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