Garden Plants for Kids

Gardening with your kids can be a rewarding experience for the whole family. If you’re thinking about growing a vegetable garden with your children, choose plants from a kid’s perspective to make the gardening experience as exciting as possible for the little ones.

Gardening with your kids can be a rewarding experience for the whole family. If you’re thinking about growing a vegetable garden with your children, choose plants from a kid’s perspective to make the gardening experience as exciting as possible for the little ones.

Starting a vegetable garden from seed is an exciting way to begin, but vegetable varieties with a long germination time can make the process tedious for a child. Choose quick germinating plants and plants that need plenty of water—kids love watering plants!

Here are a few suggestions for a kids’ vegetable garden:

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• Popcorn: Corn is taller than most other garden veggie plants, making it a fun plant for children to watch grow. Popcorn is a different variety of corn that creates the healthy snack we love eating at the movies. Grow popcorn in blocks for best pollination results. Try the Tom Thumb popcorn variety—it grows to only about 3-1/2 feet tall and matures in 85 days.

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• Baby carrots: Round, stubby baby carrots are a fun shape for kids, and baby varieties mature much faster than other types of carrots, usually maturing in only 50 to 60 days.

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• Radishes: Maturing in about 30 days, radishes are easy to grow anywhere. Try the Easter Egg variety with a blend of red, purple and white radishes for a kid-friendly color combination.

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• Cherry tomatoes: Tiny cherry tomatoes are kid-sized and dependable, and a perfect veggie for snacking in the garden. In addition to red varieties, try Sun Gold for a bright orange surprise.

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• Pumpkins: Growing your own jack o’ lantern is an exciting prospect for kids. Pumpkins come in a variety of sizes and maturity dates, and miniature pumpkins can be a hit in your children’s garden.

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• Spaghetti squash: What could be more fun than growing spaghetti? This type of winte squash takes about 80 days to mature, and when cooked the flesh becomes noodle-like.

Above all else, choose vegetables your children like to eat for the most successful kids’ garden.