For those with newborns and young toddlers, we apologize.  It’s tough to involve tiny ones without having them consume handfuls of dirt or pull new plants out of the ground.  But they can be plunked into a sling or onto a blanket and admire your handiwork as you cultivate a table garden.  And your older children will benefit from all the ideas in today’s post.

Caitlin Blethlen, works with the Youth Gardening division of Growing Gardens, an innovative non-profit that supports urban gardening for low income families.  She has all sorts of tricks and tips for involving children in your backyard farming efforts.  

GBG: Do you have any tips on how to get children involved in the gardening process?

Caitlin: Get your child(ren) involved in dreaming and planning the garden too. One fun activity is to look through a seed catalog together and cut out pictures of what you would like to grow. Consider growing both what you and your child like to eat, and what you haven’t tried yet. Sometimes it is fun to plan a themed garden such as a pizza, salsa or salad garden by growing the main ingredients. Draw an outline of your garden space and glue the photos or draw pictures of where your plants will grow. Remember children are more likely to eat vegetables they participate in growing!

For a quick and exciting project, have your child(ren) plant radish seeds in the garden beginning in early March through June. Radishes grow quickly and are very satisfying. Also, if you have very young children larger seeds such as peas, cucumbers, beans, sunflowers and nasturtiums will be easier for them to handle than the smaller seeds like lettuce or carrots.

Another exciting project is to use a plastic bottle (such as a soda bottle) to grow a micro-garden. Cut off the neck of the bottle and fill it with planting compost. Then have your child plant several different types of seeds in the soil, making sure to plant some near the outside of the bottle. Next water the soil and set in a sunny window sill.  Watch the roots begin to form and seeds to unfurl.

Bean teepees and sunflower arches are a fun way to make inviting living forts for your children. These structures can be constructed out of bamboo poles, sticks or PVC pipe. Have your child plant climbing pole beans like scarlet runners and/or tall sunflowers at the base of the trellis.

Most children LOVE worms, consider creating a worm bin to turn your kitchen scraps into wonderful compost for your garden.  If you live in the Portland, Oregon, area, attend a Growing Garden’s Parent/Child workshop for more ideas.