Growing Plants in Containers with Kids

Growing Plants With Kids
Can Be A Rewarding Experience

Teaching-Kids-About-How-to-grow-plants-in-containers
Ok so I was thinking after my article about container gardening that I would mention its not limited to moms and dads for bigger gardens, but get the kids can get involved. Growing-Vegetables-in-Containers So you want to grow a garden with your kids, but you don’t have a yard to do it in. That means you will need to grow things in containers, not a bad idea, makes it even easier to take care of, there will be “NO WEEDS”. But what grows well in containers that’s simple and something kids will enjoy?

Simply put, pretty much any vegetable or herb will grow well in a container as long as there’s enough room. But let’s narrow this down to kid friendly. Here are the ten best plants that you can grow in containers with your children. Here are some great ideas to get your started.
Growing-plants-vegetables-in-containers-when-no-other-area-available.

Any Time Is Good To Show Kids How To Garden in Containers #Gardening

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9 Great Plants To Use When Growing in Containers
* Tomatoes – This is probably the most popular choice for growing in containers. Tomatoes are easy to grow; they can even be done from a hanging container and grow upside down. Using good soil and the right amount of water is what’s needed to make tomatoes grow well in containers.

* Potatoes – You can grow a large amount of potatoes in containers like compost bags or a large tub or buckets. If you would like to see more on how you can use a bucket to plant potato’s, I found an example over at Instructables Growing Potatoes In Buckets

* Cucumbers – These are easy to grow in containers, but they need the right conditions. They grow best in warm temperatures so don’t plant until early summer for best results.

* Carrots – These are so simple to grow and do really well in containers. So they’re a really great starter vegetable to grow with children.

* Blueberries – These grow well in containers, but only with the right conditions. They ripen best in heat so they’re best saved for the summer. They require rain water too, so grow them outdoors unless you are able to collect the rain water in something. They won’t do well with tap water.

* Parsley – This is great in a window box. It takes a while to germinate though and requires heat. Also, be sure to use a rich soil.

* Basil – Put it in the window box with parsley, but be warned: this does not do well at all with cold. So make sure there is not going to be any frost. Basil has a few weeks’ germination time, though, so it grows quicker than parsley.

* Radish – This is probably the easiest vegetable to grow in a container and will really get the kids excited. So this is the perfect choice.

* Lettuce – This is actually a great choice for growing in containers. Water in the morning and make sure it is kept in the shade and you’ll have a quick and easy plant in a container in no time.

* Flowers – It doesn’t have to be vegetables alone that you plant in containers. Potted plants such as geraniums, petunias, mums, and sunflowers are great in a pot and something kids will love to help cultivate.
The-Rewards-of-gardening-with-kids Planting anything with kids can be a whole lot of fun and very educational. Getting kids to eat more vegetables, then planting some sort of garden will be a huge help in that. Letting them get their hands dirty and eating the food they grow is a huge incentive for even the pickiest of eaters.

‘As you can see, lots of plants are not fond of the cold weather of winter, and it’s such a shame if your kids can’t experience gardening tasks just because of that. So how about moving under the roof and grow some indoors? That way, all the difficult conditions before can be adjusted as you please since an indoor plant is easier to protect from pests, you can control the amount of water and nutrients your plants consume and even the light can be monitored through the convenient LED Grow Lights.’

So don’t think just because you don’t have a lot of room you can’t create some sort of garden. Hanging tomatoes and window boxes and small containers on your kitchen counter with herbs and including some containers on your porch of radishes and potatoes and you’re off to a great start gardening with the kids and getting them to try more fruits and vegetables.

But if growing outdoors wont work for you, learn how you can “Enjoy growing vegetables indoors all year long with the Miracle-Gro AeroGarden”

What have you grown in containers before? Do you think your kids would enjoy gardening?

If you enjoyed this article you might want to check these in my Garden Series:
Successful Indoor Outdoor Gardening Guide for Absolute Beginners

In addition you could also teach your kids about Re-Growing Vegetables using vegetable scraps from your kitchen. Such as Lettuce, Celery, Lemon Grass, Fennel, Basil, Cilantro, Bean Sprouts or re-growing root crops such as potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Ginger, Onions, Green Onions, the list goes on and you can read all about those and how it is done on And if you need a guide check out Vegetables That You Can Regrow Again And Again From Scraps and one more 30 Insanely Clever Gardening Tricks

How To Build DIY Raised Garden Boxes and Beds

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March 20, 2020September 1, 2020

Gardening for kids: 5 Links to get your child more involved outdoors

It would be fair to say that we are firmly in an era that is dominated by PlayStation’s, the internet and everything else that involves tech.

It means that gardening is often forgotten about. This is despite the fact that it has countless benefits associated with it, including:

First and foremost, it’s fun
It gives children responsibility
It provides them with information on nutrition (key in today’s world)
Allows them to develop cooperation skills
The list could go on!

Bearing this in mind, today’s article is a collection of links that we have stumbled across through the internet over the last few months. Hopefully, by the end of proceedings, you’ll have a much better understanding of how to get your child more involved in gardening, whilst keeping it fun at the same time.

House Beautiful – How to make gardening fun

For those of you who perhaps don’t quite know where to start with your child’s new hobby, let’s direct you to House Beautiful. They have collected just five points which provide an excellent starting base and show what you need to do to get your garden adventure started for your little ones.

Avas Flowers – Go bright and colorful

As we all know, kids love bright colors. This is where the Avas Flowers Pinterest page comes into the picture, so kids can see photos of colorful plants and flowers. Your little ones really will be enticed outside if your garden is decorated with such plants, so take a look at the Avas Flowers website to read more about what you should be turning to.

Life Hacker – The easiest vegetables to grow for beginner gardeners

Little else needs to be said about this next suggestion. Put simply, the article tells you some of the easiest vegetables to grow for beginners. Children obviously fall into this category and if they can see that the garden is producing something tangible (which they can taste!) it can make all of the difference.

Express – How to create a children-friendly garden

This next article comes courtesy of the Express, although it has been written with Alan Titchmarsh (a leading gardener in the UK, for those not aware).

It goes into all sorts of ways to make your garden child-friendly, which should be your main focus as you integrate this new hobby in your family life. It doesn’t just touch upon the obvious but also talks about some of the lesser-known safety factors such as avoiding poisonous plans etc.

BBC – How to set up a wormery

Granted, most parents are going to wince at this final suggestion. Unfortunately, like it or not, kids love worms. A wormery provides them the perfect reason to get out to the outdoors and get up close and personal with these fascinating bugs.

Over the weeks they’ll see all the little tunnels these creatures create and it really will provide the perfect excuse to get out more.
Resources:

[…]
Vegetable Gardening Tips for Beginners
Tips for Teaching Young Children Street Safety

April 2, 2018

If They Grow It, They’ll Eat It – 3 Tips for Pre-School Edible Gardens

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The earlier we teach our children about the cycle of life and how we obtain the food we eat the better. If you ask most youngsters where food comes from, they will say the grocery store. Of course, we are amused. But many children in today’s society do not have a clue what goes into the food they are eating, how much effort it took to produce it, or that food is fuel to help them grow.

Picky eaters

We have all had them. Our child, niece or nephew, or grandchild who suddenly will not eat anything but mac and cheese. If you do not give them mac and cheese, they go into a melt down. It is difficult to handle this situation because the child has to eat, and you know he needs more nutrition.

Teachable and edible moments

In our history, virtually every child understood that in order to eat, the garden had to be tended, livestock had to be taken care of and that products like butter, fruits, and dried foods required a lot of work. Today’s child may grow up in an environment that never introduces them to farming. Yet, farming is essential to him and all of us.

Begin by explaining where foods come from. Let your child help you with the groceries. Teach them about the differences in fresh food versus canned or dried foods. When you have their interest, pull up some places on your computer and show them what area in the world produces the most coffee, citrus, and other foods.

Lead the way

The best way to explain gardening to your child is to put in a preschooler friendly edible garden. You can start with a small patch of ground and select the seeds together. Get them involved. Let them handle the seeds, plant them, and water them. Explain the nutritional needs the garden has and where is comes from. If you don’t know these things, it is a great time to learn. Download some free gardening apps to help you.

Tips to getting your child to try foods

Plant easy foods that your child may like.

Cucumbers, carrots, strawberries, and blueberries are among the choices. These are easy plants, and your child can help plant, water, harvest, and clean them. After all that work, and with some high praise from you, they will want to enjoy eating the foods.

Insect and bugs

Gardens attract bees, worms, bugs, and other critters. Now is a great time to show your child that bugs have a job to do. They are not an enemy. Watch them work in the soil. There is no better way to teach your child that everything has a purpose, and there is no reason to fear.

Use the plate map

Draw a line down the center of a paper plate. Let your child use crayons or stickers to fill up half the plate with fruits and vegetables. The other half is for meat and bread. Let them decorate the plate and then hang it near where they eat. This will help them see that they are eating the right amounts of food. When you give a child just a little encouragement and authority, he will take it to new heights.

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Make it a group activity

Let your child’s friends get in on the activity. If you are having a birthday party for your child, consider blank seed envelopes for seed storage and seed packet favors. Your child will be the center of attention, and he will share his knowledge with his peers. There is no better way to get the whole neighborhood on board. Maybe, you can plant a community garden.

Once your child learns first-hand about food and he actually grows it himself, he will be more willing to try the foods. This is a healthy family activity. If more families will do this, we can see an end to obesity in our children.