Veggie Gardening with Kids

from Cedar Rim Nursery Spring Magazine 2023

The Original Superfood?

- Niall Wimsey

Have you considered growing vegetables with your little one? It is a great way to get your children interested in where their food comes from and begin a connection to gardening that will stay with them for life.

It can be a little daunting at first knowing what to grow. It is best to start with what your child likes to eat and from there choose which vegetables are easiest to grow. Picking plants that are quick to produce is also a good way of keeping children interested in their first gardening ventures. The plants listed below are our recommended choices for beginner gardeners.

Quickest Producing Veggies:

Broad Beans

Cabbage

Carrots Corn

Cucumber

Early (new) potatoes

French Beans

Lettuce Peas

Onion

Radish

Tomatoes

Zucchini

Doing some planning in spring will help you prolong your harvest; planting the same plant but at intervals will mean you don’t get everything ripening at the same time, reducing waste.

Once it comes to harvesting, if you do have an abundance of a particular type of product you can look at different ways of storing and preserving your harvest. Or even better, share with family and friends or your local food bank.

You may want to start from seed, but starter plants are an excellent choice for those who only need a few plants or have limited space. If you still want to grow from seed which is a great activity to do with your little ones, choose one plant and then for the rest, use starter plants. These plants come in 6-packs and single pots and can be planted outside once the weather permits.

Choose some companion plants too; not only do these help certain plants avoid pests and disease, but they can also increase the number of pollinators in your garden.

Companion Plants include: Marigolds, Nasturtium & Yarrow all help to deter certain pests like Aphids or Whitefly from your veggie garden.

1. Potato Sack

2. Climbing Vegetable such as Beans, Climbing Tomato & Peas

3. Herbs: Our favourites are Thyme, Mint and Rosemary

4. Mixed Vegetables such as Lettuce/Raddish/Peas/ Carrots

5. Mixed Vegetables such as bush beans or Cucumber

What you need to get started

• Packs of seeds

• Seed trays or small pots

• Seed starting soil

• A bright window sill

• Watering can with a fine end or spray bottle to mist

• Marker Labels

Great tasks for the little ones to help with

• Wash seed trays and pots in soapy water (if re-used).

• Fill the seed tray with soil and gently press down.

• Make a trench in the soil (a long line with a pencil or spoon handle). Lay the seeds sparsely in the trench.

• Sowing seeds: If the seeds are very small; tip them from the packet into your child’s hands or into a small container. Mixing with dry sand also helps.

• Cover up the seeds with soil.

• Water – Part of the fun for kids is watering in the seeds. You may want to use a watering can with a very fine spray or a spray mister to ensure the seeds are not completely drowned.

• Your child can also write or make their own label.

• Sweep up!

For Plentiful

Vegetables Choose:

Garden Vegetable Food

An outstanding blend of nutrition-rich ingredients formulated to promote vigorous growth, healthy root systems and bountiful harvests in your garden.

$12.98 ea. 2kg

Tomato Food

Specially designed to meet the needs of Tomatos. High in Potash for strong stems & aiding in the ripening & development of fruit. Contains extra Calcium to prevent blossom end rot.

$12.98 ea. 2kg

Vegetable & Tomato

Organic

An outstanding blend of organically-based nutrients formulated to promote vigorous growth, healthy root systems and bountiful harvests in your garden.