Gardens For Children

[brutal37138]

My son has shown in interest in gardening. He's constantly picking seeds out of anything he finds them in and tries to plant them and water them. He doesn't understand that there's a time to plant things, yet, but I've promised him we would have a small garden come spring. What are some good items to start with, my son will be turning 8 when we start on this project and we don't have tons of room in our backyard, but I really want him to have some success. What should we start with?

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

you could start with a few autumn planted veg - such as garlic/onions. It is probably too late for things like kale and other greens which over winter, but garlic and onion sets would still be an option (just pick a day when the weather is above freezing - makes digging this easier).

I would also consider getting some bulbs planted - daffoldils, tulips, bluebells etc are all options to plant now and they can be planted under other things such as the lawn or later flowering plants.

Otherwise, sunflowers are always great fun with children because they grown so very quickly but they are a May planting usually - you could start them off earlier indoors.

Broad beans are another which you can turn into great fun but getting them to germinate indoors first - did you ever do them in a glass jar with kitchen paper holding the bean to the glass? I did and know it was fascinating. Otherwise get him to pick what he wants and use the internet to find out when things should be planted - it will help him understand about what is needed for them - work it as a project with a number of questions ready for him to look up as and when he has finished the last one... like how many trees grow in the arctic areas? or why the tops of mountains don't have trees... - explains why growth and colder climates and why you have to wait until a certain time of year.

The broadbean sprouting in a jar could be done any time of year indoors, but I doubt you will get viable produce from it, though I do recall them flowering in the jar.
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[veggiespls]

I agree with the above poster and just wanted to add some more thoughts/ideas. One of the easiest veggies to grow around here (the great northwest) is zucchini, stuff grows like a weed! Once it starts it can grown to enormous sizes within a few days if you don't keep watch. I plant them around mother's day or a little after and by July I'm sending my kids out to the garden almost every day to pick them as they taste best when their smaller. And towards the end of the growing season I start to have a hard time giving them away as all my neighbor have had enough. We do let a few of them grow beyond reason just for the fun of seeing how big they will get. My kids get a kick out of it. Another fun one is strawberries. You can start off with just a plant or two as they will multiply year by year. My kids love getting those strawberries off the vine as soon as they redden and stuffing them in their little mouths. Mint is another fun, and easy to care for plant. I've planted several varieties, even have a chocolate mint! My kids always think its cool to pull off a leaf when their friends are over and just start eating on it, they like the shock factor! Just a few more ideas for you!

 

[crimsonghost747]

Not into gardening myself so I'll leave the technicalities to people who know better.
But I'd look at this from another point of view. What does your son like to eat? The thing is, this will be his first experience with gardening, if you want to make it into something that will not die out in a year (since we all know how children are) then you need to grow something that he loves. It will mean much more to him! And he will get to benefit from the fruits of his labour.

It's like with fish. If you buy a fish from the supermarket your child will eat it like he would with any other fish. But if it's a fish he caught himself it's a completely different feeling.

 

[sillylucy]

That is so cute that he wants to start a garden. If he can't wait, then buy him some small herbs at your local hardware store. I have always started with sprouted seedlings. It helps beat the wait and he can already start caring for them. He can be in charge of watering and making sure that they have sunlight. You can probably prob them up on your window sill as well. If you get an herb garden, try cooking a meal with the herbs so he can reap the rewards.