Getting children into gardening can be awesome outdoor fun, for spring, summer, and fall. It’s a great way to encourage outdoor movement, and also a sense of accomplishment. Gardening and participating in gardening can also help kids be more willing to try new vegetables, different colors of fruits and vegetables, and have more variety in their diet. The best plants for kids include fast growers, with interesting colors, shapes, and foliage textures to help make the plants easy to identify.

While many may recommend exotic plants as good plants for kids, carnivorous plants like the venus flytrap and the pitcher plant are actually difficult to grow and may be too much of a challenge for young kids. These plants are also indoor only plants in Canada, and much of the US, so while they can eat small insects, and new plants are fun, they aren’t going to be the best for a toddler or very young child. Any indoor plants can help clean the air, remove carbon dioxide from the air, and increase indoor oxygen. Grow some veggies hydroponically for the easiest and cheapest indoor house plants, or micro greens and herbs.

For outdoor gardens, quick growing and fruiting crops are the best bet. Getting some heirloom or open pollinated varieties of veggies your kids enjoy eating, and start with those.

Peas:

For an early spring garden, or even a medium outdoor pot, peas are a great option. They can be planted before your last frost date, by about two weeks. Peas germinate quickly, even in cool springs, and grow rapidly. You can almost watch them growing. Check your specific variety for the size of the pod and fullness of the pod for harvesting, I like sugar snap peas and snow peas that have edible pods best. There’s also mini types, like “tom thumb” that are especially designed for containers and 6 plants of these types can thrive in a 1.5 gallon pot and give you a decent harvest. You can also pinch the growing tips of outdoor pea plants for pea greens, which are tasty in salads and stir-fry’s (they are surprisingly sweet).

Peas can be replanted in mid August, for a fall, frost-hardy, crop too.

Radishes or Carrots:

These are common on the recommended plants for kids gardens lists, Easter egg radishes especially are a blend that gives pink, purple, and white radishes. The radishes are a bit spicy, but grow rapidly and germinate swiftly. On average, a small radish like Easter Egg, will grow to maturity in about 6 weeks, after germination. They are also fun for toddlers to pick or harvest. If it’s too late in your growing zone to plant radishes (they bolt with heat), save them for a fall crop and plant in late August.

Carrots won’t bolt, so if you’re in a warmer climate or it’s already later in the season, grow carrots instead. Especially if your kids’ll eat carrots but not radishes!

Lettuce:

Lettuce is a fairly mild flavored green and a favorite in gardens, especially kid’s gardens. There are green, red, purple, smooth, ruffled, and oak leaf varieties of lettuce. Other greens are also good potential candidates. Lettuce takes 30-60 days to be harvestable, longer for head lettuce and shorter for just harvesting the biggest leaves for salad or sandwiches. Lettuce is a good candidate for a small indoor pot, or a small hydroponic set up indoors. It is also a good early spring, or late fall succession plant.

Basil:

This is a pretty fail-safe herb, that loves heat, and if your kid likes spagetti, it’s going to be a win. Basil can do well in containers, or planted hydroponically. Most commercial basil is Genovese basil, or sweet basil. There are also some like “purple ball” basil that are designed to remain small and compact for container or hydroponic growing. Again, you have purple, green, and a few different textures available to chose from for visual interest, or the kid’s own interests.

Sunflowers:

Sunflowers are an easy plant for kids to get seeds for, and relatively easy to grow. If you don’t have space for a massive sunflower plant to thrive, you can also teach your kids how to grow sunflower microgreens, and enjoy the delicious nutty flavor of newly sprouted sunflowers. If you have space, there’s a ton of sunflower varieties to chose from and more info on growing them here. If you do grow your own sunflowers, save the sunflower seeds for snacks or for growing next year (or for winter micro-greens!).

Pumpkins:

You’ll need a good bit of garden space for growing pumpkins with your kids. Or a bathtub sized container garden. You can save some space by trellising the vines. Pumpkins should be planted out after your last frost date. Chose varieties that will grow to maturity within your “frost free” time frame, in my area I prefer to chose 65 – 75 day varieties, my daughter can grow ones that need 85 days to about 95 days. Again, there are tons of varieties available to chose from, some tiny cute ones, to massive giant pumpkins.

Squash:

Squash are similar to pumpkins, easy to grow but they do need space and heat unites. Summer squash come to maturity sooner, and produce prolifically. Winter squash need a longer season to develop a solid skin. Plant similarly to pumpkins, at around the same time. If your kids just like harvesting the plants, then zucchini or another prolific squash may be a good choice.

Zinnia:

Zinnias are a beautiful flower, that is safe for kids and pets. It comes in a variety of colors and can add a pop of color to any child’s garden. It can grow well as a companion plant. I’d seed start zinnias, and then transplant them out once the danger of frost is past. Other flowers can help attract butterflies and hummingbirds to the garden. I also plant marigolds and calendula among my garden plants, and playing “spot the flowers” can be fun during summer and fall harvesting.

Pansy:

Pansy and “Johnny Jump Ups” are in the viola family, and they are an edible flower. They are a personal favorite, and will self-seed if you permit them to go to seed. They’re another great one of the plants for kids, and are awesome in salads, and as pressed flowers too. They do well both in the ground, and in containers. I’ve even grown a few in hydroponics for my granddaughters.

More Plants for Kids:

Depending on your child’s interests, and how much yard space you have, there may be many other plants you’re considering including in your child’s garden. Be aware of drought risk when garden planning, and include watering plans and weeding plans with the kids to help everyone stay on top of the garden.

Garlic and onions can be fun to include the kid’s with, especially since garlic is planted in the fall and then mulched in. If pumpkins are boring, gourds may be more fun. Especially bird-house gourds, or gourds to make into musical instruments. There are a variety of sizes of gourd and lots of fun to be had, luffa is also a gourd and makes great gifts if you get cured ones.

Include other herbs in the garden, especially flowers like calendula that are taste-safe and have medicinal properties. Kids are never too young to begin learning about the world around them, and how different things in nature can help us.

Back to You:

What plants have you grown for your kids? What plants would you add to this list for the new gardener, or for the seasoned gardener?  Leave a comment!