How to start a kid-friendly vegetable garden.

There’s a natural connection between children and the outdoors. And there’s nothing more special than caring for the Earth and enjoying Mother Nature in the family backyard. Toddlers, children and teens can explore a new hobby when they get outside and get growing. Here are our 5 tips to get kids growing.
5 Steps to creating a kids vegetable garden.
1. Let them pick the plants.
“We’re growing broccoli and cabbage!” said no enthused child ever. Take a trip to your local grocery store or farmer’s market and let the kids pick out their favourite fruits and veggies. Research which ones will grow best in your yard and get ready to plant. Choose to start seeds or purchase seedlings for your new garden bed. Help kids understand what types of plants will thrive in your yard by asking them to pick out the sunniest and shadiest spots in the yard.
2. Prep Your Bed
Before planting, start at the beginning of the process by explaining the uses for different garden tools. Encourage kids to pick the spots for their new plants. Ask them to check the plant tags for information on spacing and sunlight and then determine the best spot. Be sure to bring a tape measure.
3. Plant
It’s a well-known fact that most children love digging holes. Once they’ve accomplished that task, it’s time to plant. Demonstrate how to gently remove plants from the container and loosen up the roots before planting.
4. Add nutrients and water
Just like people, plants need healthy nutrients to grow big and strong. Choose an organic fertilizer or liquid fertilizer to give plants the boost they need.
5. Create a schedule
Get kids involved in maintaining the garden by creating a monthly chart that includes days to water and feed. Chart when plants should be ready for harvest and create a countdown for your favourite plants.
One of the first and most important considerations is choosing a nice sunny place to start your vegetable patch in your garden as all of these vegetables require plenty of heat. If you are limited by space and are planting in pots, make sure you choose the sunniest part of your balcony or courtyard.
Begin by digging over the soil, adding two kilograms of compost or cow manure per square metre and then mix in well. By adding two handfuls of dolomite limestone every square metre, it will prevent blossom end rot in tomatoes and will also add essential calcium to the soil. Dig compost into the garden beds four weeks before planting seedlings. It's important you don't use too much manure, though, as the nitrogen it contains will encourage leaf growth rather than fruit.
Hot-weather vegetables such as tomato, eggplant, capsicum and zucchini are grown through spring and summer and love warm soil, so don't plant them before the last frost. In order for the seeds to germinate, they need a soil temperature between 15–24˚C and air temperature between 15–30˚C.
HOW TO GROW CAPSICUM
Capsicum is high in vitamin C and antioxidants. Growing the same way as eggplant, they love the heat, so plant them in the hottest part of the vegie patch. Germinate the seeds in soil between 23–28˚C. You may need to keep them indoors at this stage to give them a head start. Space seedlings well and allow good air circulation. Pick fruit with secateurs.
Regular harvesting will increase the fruit yield. Capsicum takes 100–120 days to fruit and yields between one and two kilograms per plant. If planted where temperatures exceed 38˚C, they will need sun protection to protect the flowers and fruits.
Roast capsicum is a great accompaniment to meals.
HOW TO GROW EGGPLANT
Eggplants come from tropical parts of Asia. Once all chance of frost is over, plant seedlings in the hottest spot in the vegetable plot (they need more heat than tomatoes).
Eggplants need a long growing season, so get them in quickly. Guard against cutworms that chew through the stem at ground level by wrapping strips of foil around the base of each plant. Plants grow bushy and flowers appear through summer, while the fruit grows through summer and autumn.
You'll know they are ripe when an imprint remains on the skin when squeezed. Eggplant is prone to aphids, whitefly and leaf-eating ladybirds.
What to do with excess eggplant? Make a delicious char-grilled eggplant and rocket salad.
HOW TO GROW ZUCCHINI
Zucchini plants grow to 40 centimetres tall. Plant them 40 centimetres apart and spray with an organic fungicide such as Eco-rose, to prevent powdery mildew growing on leaves. Zucchini 'Gold Bullion' is one of the best compact varieties available, reaching only 50 centimetres high and with a modest spread. It is ideal for growing in pots, producing an abundance of yellow, cylindrical-shaped fruit.
Zucchini can be sown from seed in winter and planted in areas protected from strong winds once the weather warms to 15˚C. Plant seeds in soil that has been improved with plenty of manure, and after 11 weeks the plants will flower then fruit. Expect to harvest approximately 12–14 weeks later.
Zucchini are best harvested when about 15–18 centimetres long, and pick them regularly to prolong cropping. The flowers are edible, too, and are especially good stuffed with tasty fetta and fried in a good oil. But remember, you won't get fruit if you pick the flowers! 'Black Beauty' has a high yield and an earlier harvest, and grows well in pots if you are short of space.
HOW TO GROW GARLIC
Garlic is the ultimate health food —high in antioxidants and excellent for relieving cold symptoms. By all accounts, it also repels insects (and vampires).
Purchase Australian garlic with white skin and pink cloves, and plant the individual cloves around your other vegetables with the pointy end facing up.
Garlic needs weed-free soil, regular feed and water. Plant in autumn and harvest in summer, around 240–270 days after planting.
PEST CONTROL
Arm yourself with some techniques to control fruit fly, caterpillars, aphids and other insects and you will be well on your way to optimum fruit yield.
5 Steps to creating a kids vegetable garden.
1. Let them pick the plants.
“We’re growing broccoli and cabbage!” said no enthused child ever. Take a trip to your local grocery store or farmer’s market and let the kids pick out their favourite fruits and veggies. Research which ones will grow best in your yard and get ready to plant. Choose to start seeds or purchase seedlings for your new garden bed. Help kids understand what types of plants will thrive in your yard by asking them to pick out the sunniest and shadiest spots in the yard.
2. Prep Your Bed
Before planting, start at the beginning of the process by explaining the uses for different garden tools. Encourage kids to pick the spots for their new plants. Ask them to check the plant tags for information on spacing and sunlight and then determine the best spot. Be sure to bring a tape measure.
3. Plant
It’s a well-known fact that most children love digging holes. Once they’ve accomplished that task, it’s time to plant. Demonstrate how to gently remove plants from the container and loosen up the roots before planting.
4. Add nutrients and water
Just like people, plants need healthy nutrients to grow big and strong. Choose an organic fertilizer or liquid fertilizer to give plants the boost they need.
5. Create a schedule
Get kids involved in maintaining the garden by creating a monthly chart that includes days to water and feed. Chart when plants should be ready for harvest and create a countdown for your favourite plants.
One of the first and most important considerations is choosing a nice sunny place to start your vegetable patch in your garden as all of these vegetables require plenty of heat. If you are limited by space and are planting in pots, make sure you choose the sunniest part of your balcony or courtyard.
Begin by digging over the soil, adding two kilograms of compost or cow manure per square metre and then mix in well. By adding two handfuls of dolomite limestone every square metre, it will prevent blossom end rot in tomatoes and will also add essential calcium to the soil. Dig compost into the garden beds four weeks before planting seedlings. It's important you don't use too much manure, though, as the nitrogen it contains will encourage leaf growth rather than fruit.
Hot-weather vegetables such as tomato, eggplant, capsicum and zucchini are grown through spring and summer and love warm soil, so don't plant them before the last frost. In order for the seeds to germinate, they need a soil temperature between 15–24˚C and air temperature between 15–30˚C.
HOW TO GROW CAPSICUM
Capsicum is high in vitamin C and antioxidants. Growing the same way as eggplant, they love the heat, so plant them in the hottest part of the vegie patch. Germinate the seeds in soil between 23–28˚C. You may need to keep them indoors at this stage to give them a head start. Space seedlings well and allow good air circulation. Pick fruit with secateurs.
Regular harvesting will increase the fruit yield. Capsicum takes 100–120 days to fruit and yields between one and two kilograms per plant. If planted where temperatures exceed 38˚C, they will need sun protection to protect the flowers and fruits.
Roast capsicum is a great accompaniment to meals.
HOW TO GROW EGGPLANT
Eggplants come from tropical parts of Asia. Once all chance of frost is over, plant seedlings in the hottest spot in the vegetable plot (they need more heat than tomatoes).
Eggplants need a long growing season, so get them in quickly. Guard against cutworms that chew through the stem at ground level by wrapping strips of foil around the base of each plant. Plants grow bushy and flowers appear through summer, while the fruit grows through summer and autumn.
You'll know they are ripe when an imprint remains on the skin when squeezed. Eggplant is prone to aphids, whitefly and leaf-eating ladybirds.
What to do with excess eggplant? Make a delicious char-grilled eggplant and rocket salad.
HOW TO GROW ZUCCHINI
Zucchini plants grow to 40 centimetres tall. Plant them 40 centimetres apart and spray with an organic fungicide such as Eco-rose, to prevent powdery mildew growing on leaves. Zucchini 'Gold Bullion' is one of the best compact varieties available, reaching only 50 centimetres high and with a modest spread. It is ideal for growing in pots, producing an abundance of yellow, cylindrical-shaped fruit.
Zucchini can be sown from seed in winter and planted in areas protected from strong winds once the weather warms to 15˚C. Plant seeds in soil that has been improved with plenty of manure, and after 11 weeks the plants will flower then fruit. Expect to harvest approximately 12–14 weeks later.
Zucchini are best harvested when about 15–18 centimetres long, and pick them regularly to prolong cropping. The flowers are edible, too, and are especially good stuffed with tasty fetta and fried in a good oil. But remember, you won't get fruit if you pick the flowers! 'Black Beauty' has a high yield and an earlier harvest, and grows well in pots if you are short of space.
HOW TO GROW GARLIC
Garlic is the ultimate health food —high in antioxidants and excellent for relieving cold symptoms. By all accounts, it also repels insects (and vampires).
Purchase Australian garlic with white skin and pink cloves, and plant the individual cloves around your other vegetables with the pointy end facing up.
Garlic needs weed-free soil, regular feed and water. Plant in autumn and harvest in summer, around 240–270 days after planting.
PEST CONTROL
Arm yourself with some techniques to control fruit fly, caterpillars, aphids and other insects and you will be well on your way to optimum fruit yield.
- Aphids can be controlled with pyrethrum, while sticky yellow traps hung throughout the vegetable patch attract and trap flying insects such as the ubiquitous fruit fly and thrips.
- Placing pantyhose over the developing tomatoes will also prevent fruit fly from ruining the fruit. Serious diseases such as tomato spotted virus wilt, caused by nematodes, can rarely be cured and affected plants should be pulled out.
- Tomato treatments are safer than ever before. Sprinkling tomato dust over growing plants is one way to prevent insects such as thrips before they take hold. Yates Dipel and Yates Success Naturalyte Insect Control are organic and will prevent caterpillars.
- Watering the soil, rather than watering the foliage, can prevent leaf fungal diseases.
- If pests are under control, yet your fruit is still suffering, a lacklustre crop can also be attributed to rain during flowering, a lack of bees, possums, thrips, and dry or waterlogged soil.