Children are naturally inquisitive about the world around them; wanting to know the how, why and see things work. Involving your children in the growing and planning a garden is a great way to teach them about nature and the interactions that take place everyday around them. Additionally, including children in the planning and maintenance of a fruit or vegetable garden is a good way to teach them about healthy eating.
There are several things to keep in mind when you garden with children and allowing for mistakes and experimentation is important. Here are several tips and ideas to help you plan a children’s garden in your own yard.
Include your Children
Including your child in the planning of your garden is the most important part, yet so many gardeners skip this. Let your child help you decide where their special garden will go, what they want to plant, and what the overall design of the garden will be. By including them in the planning process you are more likely to keep them interested in the continued maintenance of their garden.
Engage Their Senses
Choose plants and garden accessories that will engage your child. Flowers with large, bright blooms such as sunflowers and zinnias always attract the attention of children. Include plants that are very fragrant like lavender, basil and honey suckle. All these plants are very easy to grow and maintain so including them in a children’s garden is ideal.
A vegetable garden or just a few vegetable plants throughout a larger garden is a great way to encourage your kids to garden and eat their veggies at the same time. Try growing salad greens which grow fast from seed to harvest. My younger brother will only eat salad greens that he grows himself in his very own garden because he is so proud of them.
Provide Space
Make sure you give your child as much space as possible for their garden. Where limited space is an issue add features to your garden that make vertical growth an alternative. Encourage your child to relax and spend more time in their garden by including areas for them to rest or hideout such as hidden benches or small pathways that wind through the garden.
Make it fun
Depending on your child’s interests help them choose a garden with a theme in mind. Some of the best children’s gardens that I have seen include interactive elements that the children are encouraged to add to at all times. Here are ideas from some of the best.
A butterfly garden can easily be created by planting large flowers that specifically attract butterflies. The garden can include water elements, try a bird bath and fill the bottom with glass marbles that attract both children and butterflies. As the season progresses help your child keep track of how many and the different types of butterflies their garden attracts.
Another cute idea is a fairy garden. Fairies and flowers have been associated with each other for years, find a book of fairy folk lore and read through it with your child to determine what flowers fairies prefer. Help them design and create miniature fairy homes to include throughout the garden.
For the adventurous type always looking forward to their next outing incorporating aspects of the garden that your children can play in is essential. Sweet pea or green bean teepees are always a hit. Using bamboo or large sticks, make a teepee structure that can accommodate one or two children and plant beans, sweet peas or another climbing plant at the base of each stick. As the summer goes on the teepee hideout will get better and better.
For children wanting a vegetable garden having a theme in mind is a good idea here as well. As I said earlier my brother has a lot of success with his salad garden. Try to grow at least four different salad greens for variety and include cucumbers and tomatoes as well. To make it interesting, you can divide your salad garden into a tic-tac-toe board and have them plant a different plant in each square. Another vegetable garden idea kids love is a pizza garden. Help your child lay out a circular garden that will be divided into slices with a different plant growing in each piece.
Don’t set any limits on ideas, try things your children come up with, and let them add their own touch to the garden for the best and most rewarding themselves.
