I’ve spent countless hours in the garden with my little ones, and I can tell you there’s something truly magical about watching your children grow something they can eat. It’s not just about the vegetables; it’s about the memories, the learning, and the joy on their faces when they pull up their first carrot or bite into a sun-warmed tomato. If you’re thinking about starting a vegetable garden with your kids, you’re in for a treat. Let me share some of my favourite easy-to-grow vegetables that have been a hit with my children over the years.
Why Grow Vegetables with Your Kids?
Before we dig into the specifics, let’s talk about why growing vegetables with your children is such a brilliant idea. For starters, it’s a fantastic way to get them excited about eating their greens (and reds, and yellows!). There’s something about planting a seed, caring for it, and watching it grow that creates a connection to food that you just can’t get from a supermarket shelf.
It’s also a wonderful learning experience. My kids have picked up so much about biology, weather, and even patience through our gardening adventures. Plus, it’s a great way to spend quality time together outdoors, away from screens and devices.
When the weather allows, of course…
Choosing the Right Vegetables
When it comes to gardening with kids, not all vegetables are created equal. You want to choose plants that are:
- Easy to grow
- Quick to produce results
- Fun to harvest
- Tasty to eat
With these criteria in mind, let’s explore some of the best vegetables to grow with your little ones.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a brilliant choice. They’re relatively easy to grow, produce fruit fairly quickly, and come in a variety of colours and sizes that children find fascinating.
In my experience, cherry tomatoes are the absolute winners. They’re sweet, easy to pop in your mouth, and produce fruit abundantly. My kids love wandering through the garden, plucking these little red (or yellow!) gems straight from the vine.
Growing Tips
- Start seeds indoors about 6-8 weeks before the last frost date.
- Once seedlings are about 15cm tall, transplant them to larger pots or into the garden.
- Choose a sunny spot – tomatoes love warmth and light.
- Water regularly and consistently to prevent splitting.
We’ve had great success with ‘Sungold’ tomatoes, a variety that produces incredibly sweet yellow cherry tomatoes. ‘Tumbling Tom’ is another favourite, perfect for hanging baskets if you’re short on space.
Potatoes
If you want to see real excitement in your kids’ eyes, grow potatoes. There’s something about digging for these underground treasures that never gets old.
Growing Tips
- Start with seed potatoes, which you can usually find at garden centres.
- Plant them in early spring for a summer harvest.
- As the plants grow, keep piling soil or straw around the stems (this is called ‘earthing up’).
- When the plants start to yellow and die back, it’s time to dig!
Tell your children that potatoes are actually the swollen ends of underground stems, not roots. It’s a fun bit of plant biology they can impress their friends with.
Beans
Beans are another vegetable that seems to captivate children’s imaginations. Maybe it’s the Jack and the Beanstalk connection, or perhaps it’s just how quickly they grow.
We’ve had success with both runner beans and French beans. Runner beans tend to grow taller and produce larger pods, while French beans are often more prolific and come in fun colours like purple.
Growing Tips
- Sow seeds directly into the ground after the last frost.
- Provide support for climbing varieties – a teepee of bamboo canes works well.
- Pick regularly to encourage more production.
Get your kids to check the plants daily and measure how much they’ve grown. It’s a great way to keep them engaged in the process.
Carrots
Carrots are a bit more challenging to grow, but the payoff is worth it. The anticipation of pulling them up to see how big they’ve grown is unbeatable.
Growing Tips
- Sow seeds directly into the ground or deep containers.
- Keep the soil moist until seeds germinate.
- Thin seedlings to about 5cm apart when they’re large enough to handle.
For extra fun, try growing rainbow carrots – varieties like ‘Purple Haze’ or ‘Yellowstone’ alongside traditional orange ones. It’s a great way to show kids that vegetables come in all colours.
Lettuce
Lettuce is perfect for impatient little gardeners. It grows quickly and can be harvested within a few weeks of planting.
Growing Tips
- Sow seeds directly into the ground or containers.
- For a continuous harvest, sow a few seeds every couple of weeks.
- Some varieties can be harvested leaf by leaf, allowing for multiple harvests from the same plant.
Challenge your kids to create their own salad mix by growing different varieties of lettuce and other salad leaves.
Peas
Peas are another vegetable that kids tend to love, both for growing and eating. They’re sweet, fun to shell, and grow vertically, saving space in the garden.
Growing Tips
- Sow directly into the ground in early spring.
- Provide support for the plants to climb.
- Harvest regularly to encourage more pods to form.
Peas are one of the oldest cultivated crops in the world. Archaeologists have found peas in ancient Egyptian tombs. That little factoid will impress you kids’ teachers.
Cucumbers
Cucumbers are a hit with most kids, and they’re relatively easy to grow. Plus, they’re refreshing on a hot summer day.
Growing Tips
- Start seeds indoors about 3-4 weeks before the last frost date.
- Transplant seedlings to the garden when they have a few true leaves.
- Provide support for climbing varieties.
Try growing lemon cucumbers – they’re round and yellow, looking a bit like lemons. Kids get a kick out of their unusual appearance.
Radishes
If you want to see results fast, radishes are the way to go. They can be ready to harvest in as little as 3-4 weeks from sowing.
Growing Tips
- Sow seeds directly into the ground or containers.
- Keep the soil moist but not waterlogged.
- Harvest when the roots are about 2.5cm in diameter.
Use radishes to teach kids about the parts of a plant. They can see the leaves above ground and the root below.
Tips for Success
To wrap up, here are some general tips to make your vegetable gardening adventure with kids a success:
- Start small – it’s better to have a few thriving plants than a large, overwhelming garden.
- Let your kids choose what to grow – they’ll be more invested if they have a say.
- Make it fun – use colourful plant markers, create themes (like a pizza garden), or have competitions.
- Be patient – things might not always go to plan, but that’s part of the learning experience.
- Celebrate the harvest – cook together using your home-grown produce.
Remember, the goal isn’t just to grow vegetables, but to grow little gardeners. Enjoy the process, and embrace the mess.
