Container Gardening with Kids

My kids love to help with gardening but we don’t have good soil or good sun in our backyard. That means we do a lot of container gardening with kids.]. But what grows well in containers that’s simple and something kids will enjoy? Simply put, pretty much any vegetable or herb will grow well in a container as long as there’s enough room.

We like to work on growing herbs indoors in the winter but during the warm months it’s fun to be outside. So let’s narrow this list of container gardening with kidsoptions. Here are the ten best plants that you can grow in containers with children.

Tomatoes
This is probably the most popular choice for growing in containers. Tomatoes are easy to grow; they can even be done from a hanging container and grow upside down. Using good soil and the right amount of water is what’s needed to make tomatoes grow well in containers.

Potatoes
You can grow a large amount of potatoes in containers like compost bags or a large tub. Read my post about Growing Potatoes in Any Climate

Cucumbers
These are easy to grow in containers, but they need the right conditions. They grow best in warm temperatures so don’t plant until early summer for best results.

Carrots
These are so simple to grow and do really well in containers. So they’re a really great starter vegetable to grow with children. Check out How To Grow Fairy Carrots In Jars from The Empress of Dirt!

Blueberries
These grow well in containers, but only with the right conditions. They ripen best in heat so they’re best saved for the summer. They require rain water too, so grow them outdoors unless you are able to collect the rain water in something. They won’t do well with tap water.

Parsley
This is great in a window box. It takes a while to germinate though and requires heat. Also, be sure to use a rich soil. But in the end, parsley is both rewarding and a healthy option that you can harvest and store in the freezer! Read A Guide To Growing Your Own Herb Garden for more parsley information.

Basil
Put it in the window box with parsley, but be warned: this does not do well at all with cold. So make sure there is not going to be any frost. Basil has a few weeks’ germination time, though, so it grows quicker than parsley. There is nothing better than fresh basil on pizza – my kids love it! Read Growing Basil at Home Indoors.

Radish
This is probably the easiest vegetable to grow in a container and will really get the kids excited. So this is the perfect choice.

Lettuce
This is actually a great choice for container gardening with kids. Water in the morning and make sure it is kept in the shade and you’ll have a quick and easy plant in a container in no time. Read more about growing lettuce in containers here.

Flowers
It doesn’t have to be vegetables alone that you plant in containers. Potted plants such as geraniums, petunias, mums, and sunflowers are great in a pot and something kids will love to help cultivate.

Planting anything with kids can be a whole lot of fun and very educational. Getting kids to eat more vegetables, then planting some sort of garden will be a huge help in that. Letting them get their hands dirty and eating the food they make is a huge incentive for even the pickiest of eaters.

So don’t think just because you don’t have a lot of room you can’t create some sort of garden. Hanging tomatoes and window boxes with herbs and including some containers on your porch of radishes and potatoes and you’re off to a great start -gardening with the kids and getting them to try more fruits and vegetables.

What have you grown in containers before?

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Make sure you check out all of the Container Gardening posts here!