Gardening is a wonderful hobby with plenty of benefits for the mind and body — and it’s a brilliant way to spend time together as a family. Once kids get a taste of the fruit and veg they’ve grown themselves, or smell flowers they’ve planted with their own hands, they’re usually hooked for life. Here are some tips to help get your kids into gardening and kick-start a hobby that could last a lifetime.
Let Them Get Dirty
One of the best parts of being a kid is getting dirty! Don’t limit them, don’t hold them back. Let the kids dive right in, feet and hands first into the earth. It’s fun, and it links gardening with a positive experience, so they’ll want to come back to it again and again.
Let Them Choose What to Plant
Head out to your local home store and take a stroll down the gardening aisle. Bring the kids along and let them pick a couple of plants themselves — herbs, veggies or flowers, whatever catches their eye. Giving them the choice creates a sense of ownership over the task, and they’ll be far more likely to stick with it.
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Take Them to the Garden Centre
If your town has a local garden centre or nursery, it’s worth a trip. You’ll usually find a bigger selection of plants and seeds, and you’ll be supporting a local business too.
Take the kids along and let them see all the plants on offer, choosing the ones they like best. When you get home, head out to the garden and let them do the planting themselves.
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Encourage Them to Harvest Crops
Whatever you grow in the garden — herbs, veggies or flowers — be sure to let the kids harvest their own yield. Let them pluck the tomatoes, pull the carrots, or trim the herbs.
Kids learn by doing, through hands-on activities, and if their hands are in the garden, they’re learning to love it.
Cook with Their Produce
If your little ones have worked hard to grow veggies or herbs, include them when it’s time to cook with them. Even something as simple as a veggie tray will do the job. It’s all about letting them see how the hard work and love they put into the garden pays off. Once they can see and taste that, they’ll be hooked.
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Create Good Habits
As most gardeners know, this isn’t a “set it and forget it” hobby — it needs constant, daily care, from watering to pruning to feeding.
Get your kids into the good habit of spending a little time each day tending their own patch of the garden. Teach them the proper way to do things, then hand over the reins. It gives them a real sense of accomplishment and helps the good habit stick.
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Garden Indoors Too
If you live in an apartment or have a small yard, don’t worry — you don’t need acres of space to garden with kids. Small indoor setups, such as a sunny windowsill herb pot, a grow-light shelf, or a compact tower garden, can still give you that quality time together, whatever the size of your outdoor space.
What to Plant
Depending on the age of your children, their level of understanding will differ, so it’s best to start with some easy plants. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Root Veggies
Things like potatoes, carrots, turnips and parsnips are all fairly easy to care for. Just make sure they get adequate water and they largely take care of themselves. Some root vegetables can even stay in the ground right through the winter.
Berries
When it comes to growing berries, it’s easiest to stick with ones that grow on bushes rather than on the ground. Raspberries, blackcurrants or blueberries are great starting points to try with kids.
Flowers
Some flowers are tricky to care for, even for seasoned gardeners, so it’s best to avoid anything exotic or tropical when planting with kids. Stick with sunflowers, roses, daisies or garden mums. There are plenty more options — just ask at your local garden centre or nursery — but these are a safe bet and a great place to start.
Other Easy Plants
Green beans, jalapeños, tomatoes and courgettes are all great options to grow with kids. These plants are pretty low-maintenance, needing just watering and the occasional prune, and they tend to grow quickly — perfect for kids who love to see fast results.
Gardening is something we should all be doing more of, and the best place to start is with our children. Get them out in the garden, teach them the ins and outs, and let them have fun. Start as early as you can, and make it part of your family’s everyday life.
Frequently Asked Questions
What age can kids start gardening?
Most children can start helping in the garden from around age two or three, with simple tasks like watering or digging in soil. As they grow, you can give them more responsibility, such as choosing plants or harvesting crops.
What are the easiest plants for kids to grow?
Root vegetables like potatoes and carrots, quick-growing crops like green beans and courgettes, and hardy flowers like sunflowers and daisies are all great starting points, as they’re low-maintenance and forgiving of small mistakes.
How do I get my kids interested in gardening if they’re reluctant?
Let them choose their own plants, keep tasks simple and hands-on, and celebrate small wins, such as the first sprout or the first harvest. Cooking with what they’ve grown is also a great way to show them the payoff of their effort.
Can I garden with kids if I don’t have a garden or yard?
Yes — indoor gardening with pots on a windowsill, grow lights, or a small tower garden can work well in apartments or homes with limited outdoor space.
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