By Sarah Hunt, AZFB Communications Intern
Are your kids constantly telling you “I’m bored”? Summer gives us plenty of free time, sometimes a little too much. And with many parents working from home, there’s even more time to kill.
But extra time doesn’t have to be filled with just watching movies or taking naps. Planting a vegetable garden with your kids is an easy, fun, and engaging activity that will keep your kids busy and active all summer long.
Gardening requires taking care of something (your plants, in this case), which kids love to do. Watering, pruning, and more are all a part of your garden’s daily care. When you delegate these tasks to your children, they enjoy the feeling of importance it gives them when they have a job to do that’s all their own. But don’t forget to supervise them! You want to ensure the plants stay healthy and keep growing until the vegetables are ready to be picked.
Some of the easiest plants to grow include microgreens, carrots, radishes, alfalfa/other sprouts, lettuce, beans, zucchini, peas, pumpkins, and edible flowers. Read this great article about why these are some of the best vegetables to grow with your kids.
One of the things to consider when starting a garden with your kids is purchasing a garden box. This is a great investment. It keeps all your plants in one place and provides a separate space for the nutrient-rich soil you will plant your vegetables in.
There are plenty of options for buying a garden box. You can buy them on Amazon (see one example here), or if you want another project to keep you busy, you can make a run to Home Depot or your local lumberyard and build your own!
You will need seeds and gardening tools, which are also available on Amazon (some examples of seeds and gardening tools) or at your local Walmart. You will also need plant markers, which you can make. It’s another enjoyable activity to do with your kids. See these examples for a fun, decorative and creative way to identify your plants.
When its time to harvest your veggies, look up recipes you can make with them by using Fill Your Plate’s recipe database!
Top Five Tips From This Article for Gardening With Your Kids:
- Make it fun!
- Get them their own tools.
- Pick easy vegetables to grow.
- Invest in or build a garden box.
- Personalize your garden.
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