Children enjoy gardening. But which plants are best suited for making their first attempts in the garden with the little ones?
Gardening with children can be great fun for everyone involved if a few basic rules are observed. So that the grown-ups remain relaxed while the youngsters experiment to their heart's content, it is advisable to be clever when choosing plants. They should be robust species that don't give up their lives with the first vigorous watering. In addition, there are other important criteria depending on the use. With edible plants, good taste and a long harvest period naturally play a central role. The attractiveness of the children's plants increases enormously if the fruit can be nibbled directly from the plant in its raw state and - important for the impatient little ones - if it is fast-growing. Many plants also have benefits, even if they are not suitable for consumption: they are great for playing with. We have put together the best herbs, edible flowers, vegetables and fruits as well as "play plants" for you.
Best vegetables to grow with kids
Every child knows vegetables from the family table and eats them with more or less enthusiasm. But where does the crunchy food actually come from? The children can pursue this question in a playful way while growing their own vegetables. Below we have listed the best vegetables that are ideal for introducing your children or grandchildren to gardening:
- Melothria: The Mexican mini cucumber or "snack cucumber" climbs up sunny fences or trellises and delights young and old with its small, sour fruits as they pass by. These can also be pickled very well. The tender little plants should be grown on the windowsill in spring and planted out after the last frost, as they are very sensitive to cold.
- Radishes: Pretty little radishes are the perfect starter vegetable. Cultivation can begin from March to the end of August. The radish makes only low demands on theLocation, also forgives casting errors. The seeds are so large that even younger children can easily sow them. The vitamin-rich storage tubers can be harvested after about four weeks. Children quickly get used to the spiciness when the radishes are finely chopped and placed on the sandwich.
- Sugar peas: Young gardeners need a little more patience for these sweet vegetables, which can also be eaten raw. Sow from mid-April, harvest can begin in August. Many varieties are happy about a climbing aid, but there are also smaller ones up to 40 centimeters high that do not require scaffolding and can even be harvested by the little ones on their own.
- Cocktail tomatoes: The small-fruited tomato varieties are loved by most children. They are sweet, fit into every child's mouth without messing up and are more forgiving of watering mistakes than their large-fruited relatives, which are often susceptible to brown rot if they get too much water and the foliage is wetted. If there is no really sunny spot on the windowsill, the little plants tend to wilt, which means the shoots grow out, become thin and snap easily. A good alternative are purchased young plants, which are now available in a wide variety of varieties.
Tip: Our Plantura organic soils - such as the Plantura organic tomato & vegetable soil - are not only sustainable and peat-free, but also harmless to children and animals.
Best Fruits to Grow With Kids
Certain types of fruit are also great for working with the little ones in the garden:
- Strawberries: When the red fruits ripen, summer is here. Strawberries are great fruit for children, because they can be propagated quickly, they can be grown in the same place for at least three years, and the quality and freshness from their own garden is unsurpassed. Here they can grow varieties that were not specially bred to survive the transport from Spain to Central Europe intact, but to taste good. One of the most famous and delicious varieties is the 'Mieze Schindler'. Incidentally, strawberries also thrive on balconies in pots or even hanging baskets. In this case, particular attention must be paid to sufficient watering.
- Raspberries: The soil needs to be well prepared for this culture: it should be deep, loose and rich in nutrients. The effort is worth it, because the raspberry rodswill then do little work for many years and be the absolute hit in the snack garden. If you combine early and late varieties, you can harvest from May to October with two main harvest periods.
Herbs for gardening with children
Herbs thrive easily and relatively quickly on any windowsill. Every meal becomes a little celebration when the children proudly sprinkle over the fragrant leaves they have grown and harvested themselves, and they will never want to be without them again. The absolute basics include chives, basil and parsley. Another nice option is to create a herb raised bed with the little ones. This can of course be adjusted in height to the size of the children.
Edible flowers for children
It's always amazing how happy children are to pick up greens when they are served in a visually appealing way. Edible flowers can make a big contribution to this. Not only do most of them look pretty, they also taste really good. Nasturtiums, violets, daisies, roses, chickweed, marigolds, primroses, mallow, borage and linseed are just a few examples of the colorful diversity on the plate.
"Play plants" for gardening with children
Some plants may not be edible, but they provide great material for games and handicrafts. A living willow teepee can be built from freshly cut wicker branches. The flexible rods are inserted as long sticks into a circular planting pit and cast in firmly. The shoot tips can then be tied or braided to the desired shape and height. The rods will soon begin to put out new leaves and soon form a shady and opaque hiding place for our little adventurers. A haptically interesting and decorative plant is the Wollziest: The leaves are densely covered with silvery hair and are fluffy like "bunny ears". The clematis likes to grow wild and delivers feathery, fluffy fruit structures that are suitable for padding elves' hiding places. The bladdernut is an interesting native hedge plant: its blister-shaped fruit contains exposed seeds that make a rattling noise.
If you want to know more about gardening with children, go toPlantura more useful tips and articles. For example, about which plants you should avoid in kindergarten because of their toxicity or which ornamental plants are well suited for the garden with children (and pets). If you don't have your own garden or balcony to garden with your children or grandchildren, then you will find inspiration for indoor gardening projects here. You can find out more about how schools and kindergartens are (re)discovering the garden as a place of learning here.
Another great way to discover the world of gardens with children is to put out bird seed. A large number of colorful garden birds linger at small feeding stations in the garden, which you can then easily observe with your children. Our Plantura fat balls attract nuthatches, hawfinches, blue tits, woodpeckers and many other visitors to your garden.