Gardening is Great for Children

Children are natural gardeners—they are curious, learn by doing, and love to play in the dirt.

Working together in the garden can provide hours of quality time each week. It also encourages a child’s interest in the workings of nature and science, experiencing the cycles of life first hand. Giving a child their own space to grow food and flowers teaches responsibility while allowing for creativity and a sense of pride. As an added bonus, the whole family ends up with fresh food and a new appreciation of vegetables.

Vegetable gardening can be especially rewarding for younger children. A lot of vegetable seeds are larger and easier for small hands to handle. Oftentimes, they’ll also germinate in a shorter time and produce edible results within a single season. They can also be grown in pots if there is no yard space available. There are many varieties of vegetables developed especially for pots or small spaces.

Children Gardening

Give them their own space in raised beds, pots, or ground plots—making sure each child has their own space.
A smaller space is more manageable and everything seems larger through a child’s eyes. Start small and increase with age and interest.
Placing a child’s garden in the best possible spot—near the action, in sun, and in healthy soil—will optimize success.
Use serious tools and work gloves. Cheap plastic tools break and frustrate the new gardener.
Engage kids in the entire process from seed to table.

Obelisk Trellis: These are easy to make by lashing 3-5 poles or sticks together. Wire or twine can be strung around the structure for growing beans, morning glory, gourds, or cucumber. Make them tall enough for a child to climb inside.
Topiary Animals: Create different animals and objects out of chicken wire, then grow ivy vines or morning glory over the wire.

Growing Gardens: Community outreach through school gardens and the Boys & Girls Club. Offers volunteer/community involvement opportunities.
Old McDonald’s Farm: Offers classes, summer and special needs programs, camps, day visits, “Farmer For a Day” sleep-overs, and seasonal activities.
Zenger Farm: Offers classes for families in addition to winter, spring-break camps, summer camps, classroom field trips, and volunteer activities.
Sauvie Island Center: Offers classroom field trips, summer camps, and volunteer opportunities.

Kids Gardening

Children’s Gardens: A Field Guide for Teachers, Parents, and Volunteers by Elizabeth Bremner & John Pusey.
Dig, Plant, Grow: A Kid’s Guide to Gardening by Felder Rushing
Great Gardens for Kids by Clare Matthews
Roots, Shoots, Buckets, and Boots: Gardening Together with Children by Sharon Lovejoy

Broccoli: Try Minaret—it looks like tiny spiral towers and tastes delicious.
Brussels Sprouts: It’s fun to harvest and easy to grow. Try ‘Valiant’ for excellent flavor.
Carrot: Thumbelina and Little Finger are cute, snacking varieties.
Chard: Bright Lights and Rainbow will brighten up the vegetable garden.
Corn: Try Bodacious, Precocious (early), Kandy Corn, and Zea Mays (ornamental).
Cucumber: Great for trellising and a crowd-pleaser.
Dill: It’s tall and feathery with a great taste and smell.
Fennel: Yummy leaves and seeds attract beneficial insects.
Gourd: Try Swan, Caveman’s Club, and Autumn Wings for interesting shapes.
Lettuce: Easy to grow nearly year-round and best when cut fresh from the garden.
Pineapple Sage: Smells sweet and attracts hummingbirds.
Peas: Sugar Snap and Cascade are great for cooking and snacking.
Potato: Blue and Cranberry Red varieties are delightful excuses for playing in the dirt.
Pumpkin: Try smaller varieties like Baby Boo, Jack Be Little, and Fairy Tale.
Squash: Flying Saucer, Starship, 8-Ball, and Sunburst all have great shapes.
Strawberry: Alpine, Seascape, and Hood are delicious and abundant producers.
Sunflower: Plant edible seed varieties like Arikara.
Tomato: Bite size Cherry, Yellow Pear, and Grape are sweet and popular with kids.

Calendula: Edible and a sure bloomer.
Marigold: Aromatic and easy to grow from seed.
Pansy: Cute little flowers, easy to grow, and lots of color variation.
Salvia: Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds with tasty nectar and bright colors.
Snapdragons: Fun dragon mouths that open and close when squeezed.
Sunflower: Huge and captivating, attractive to birds with edible seeds. It’s also easy to grow! Try Teddy Bear, Giant Sungold, and Big Smile.
Strawflower (Helichrysum bracteatum): Fun shapes and great as a dried flower.
Sweet Pea: Smell sweet and easy to grow.
Zinnia: Wonderfully bright array of colors.

Monarda: Bright flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies.
Coreopsis: Feathery foliage and continuous golden flowers.
Echinacea: Has an intriguing texture to its center and blooms from summer through fall.
Gaillardia: Loads of daisy-like flowers in warm colors all summer long.
Leucanthemum Daisy: A classic in the garden.
Delphinium: Tall and whimsical with intense shades of blue.
Stachys: Very soft and true to its name.
Lavender: Lovely, with a calming scent Attracts wildlife. Drought tolerant.
Poppies: Provides great color and is easy to grow. Try Icelandic Mix and Oriental varieties.
Kniphofia: Huge colorful flower stalks and drought resistant.