Plants Kids Love to Grow

If you’re planning on planting some veggies or flowers in your yard or garden for the kids to enjoy (subsequently influencing the next generation of plant addicts), you need to think like a kid. Fortunately, I not only have quite a few of those hanging around the place (I’m like a Pez dispenser) but I also teach kids gardening.

Children like plants they can touch, eat or have colors that make their eyes dance. They’re also intrigued by plants that are impossible-looking. So, when you’re planning on having a kid in your garden, all you really have to do is come up with things that fill some part of that bill.

Let me jump-start your imagination with some tried-and-true kid-loving plants:

Lamb’s Ears (Stachys byzantina) – Lamb’s ears not only look like they belong on a cuddly critter – they’re every bit as soft! Their silvery color adds nice variety to any perennial bed.

Sunflowers (Helianthus spp.) – Sunflowers are not only easy to grow, they’re entertaining as well. Their sunny faces turn and follow the sun all day long, but the best types of sunflowers to grow are the ones at each end of the spectrum; that is, the giants and the miniatures. The giant sunflowers like “Russian Mammoth” grow to a towering 12 feet tall and their leaves are as big as your head! They even make adults feel like they’re walking through the land of the giants. On the opposite end are the fluffy, short variety called “Teddy Bear.”

Root Crops such as radishes are great for kids to grow because they mature so quickly and come in an assortment of colors. Carrots take quite a bit longer until their ready to harvest, and not only come in terrific colors, but many surprising shapes as well. One of my favorite moments of all time was when my son pulled his first carrot out of the ground when he was four; the look on his face was priceless. Potatoes are not only easy to plant, but great fun for kids to maintain because they get to pile straw, hay and soil on the growing potato plants. In the end, they get to dig and hunt for their harvest.

Pumpkins – An all-time favorite among the plants for kids. There’s plenty to do with pumpkins. Try growing “Atlantic Giant” pumpkins for the world record size monsters, or “Baby Jack” for the wee folk with tiny hands. There are white pumpkins, too like “Boo”. While the pumpkins are young your child can scratch their name into the flesh. As the pumpkin matures, the skin heals a scar and kids can have their personal pumpkin.

Berries -  A huge hit with kids and I can’t blame them. Strawberries, blueberries and blackberries are a sweet treat to pop into your mouth straight from the garden.

If you want to charm kid’s senses, try planting cinnamon basil or scented geraniums. These specialty geraniums are bred to smell like apricots, lemons, rose, nutmeg, lime, mint, ginger, peppermint, and chocolate. Just rub the leaves gently and enjoy.

*When rubbing herb leaves make sure the child doesn’t have a reaction to the oils. Occasionally, certain plant species will cause a rash.

Related posts:

1. Grow Some Fun with Your Kids
2. Amazing Basil- Tips to grow it, use it, and store it
3. A Reminder That I Love My Kids
4. What Gardening Teaches Kids
5. Kids Love to Help with Cooking