Five Simple Steps You Can Take Today to Get Your Kids Gardening

Healthy eaters. Active explorers. Curious questioners. Gardening can help us guide our children into good habits and promising paths of learning. How can you get started?

In this post, we’ll look at five simple steps you can take as a parent, grandparent, teacher, or caring adult.

What are some things parents and educators can do today get kids gardening?

I shared five simple steps you can take today (or any day!) to get your kids involved in the garden. While Emily and I focused on getting kids involved, I think these five action steps work for almost anyone starting a new season of gardening. I created a worksheet to follow along with this post. Click here to download the printable PDF and write down your own plans.

1. Set a goal.

I like to start any project with a clear idea of what I want to do so that’s my natural first step. Depending on your goal, you’ll be able to decide where, what, and when to grow. You don’t necessarily need to get as detailed as a “S.M.A.R.T. goal” (although it wouldn’t hurt). You do need a compelling vision of what you want to create together.

Talk with your family, read or watch a few gardening stories, make a list of all the ideas you have, and agree on your goals. Write down 1-3 goals for the season and put them up on your fridge or somewhere you’ll see the page often.

Here are a few ideas to get you brainstorming:

• Create a growing space near the back door where we can all spend time planting, tending, observing and experimenting with herbs, flowers, and veggies.
• Make two raised beds (one for me and one for kids) in the backyard this winter and plant them with vegetables in spring.
• Plant a dozen different kinds of flowers to feed pollinators next summer.
• Grow enough food to preserve green beans, tomatoes, and peppers for the year.
• Build a kid’s play space with sensory plants and fun toys next to our existing garden.
• Start three types of seeds inside containers so that we can compare them.
• Grow pumpkins for Halloween jack-o’-lanterns.

2. Commit to a regular time for gardening.

Do you ever feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day? We do! At the same time, we practice making time for the things that matter most to us. (Of course, we still get sidetracked with distractions and interruptions, but that’s why it’s a practice. 🙂 )

If you are serious about getting your kids outside and into the garden, we recommend making it part of your daily or weekly routine. Routines help us chip away at the resistance we face when trying to make things happen. They build momentum. They make transitions easier because kids (and adults!) know what to expect. And they’re flexible–routines can be varied when needed to take care of urgent interruptions or special events.

Each family’s routine will be different, and your plans may change with the season. Will you go to the garden for each morning? Or do you visit after school on the days you don’t have sports practice? Could gardening be part of your weekend routine? Or maybe you’ll visit daily in summer and weekly in winter. Take a few minutes to think about your current routines and how to be intentional about your time for getting into the garden with your kids.

3. Invest in basic gear to make it easier for yourself and your kids.

For us, the key gear is boots. Our back hall has a row of rubber boots from large to small, one for each person. “Get on your boots!” is a great way to get everyone moving, and the boots help us overcome one of the obstacles (shoe hunt!) to getting out into the garden. When we return, everyone knows to take off their boots and wash their hands as part of our transition back inside. (Plus, we get less dirt in the house!)

Here are some ideas for basic gear that you might want to add to your shopping or wish list:

• Rubber boots
• Kid-sized shovel, rake, and trowel (Look for real sturdy tools that can actually dig and rake without breaking)
• Good tools for adults (You’ll enjoy and be more likely to use good, sturdy tools, too!)
• Gloves that fit well (Our boys don’t like to wear gloves yet. The grown-ups like nitrile work gloves.)
• Baskets or tubs of varying sizes (We have a size for everyone from quart-sized buckets to bushel baskets.)

4. Connect with local experts.

Do you know other gardeners in your area? Befriend local gardeners and tap into their experience of your region’s biology, geology, and climate. Often, they’ll have insights you won’t get from an online search for answers. Plus, it’s fun to have a network for sharing plants, seeds, and produce!

Here are a few places where you can make connections:

• Friends and neighbors with gardens
• Facebook groups about gardening or plant identification for your region
• Locally owned garden centers and nurseries
• Cooperative extension services (usually connected to research institutions, like universities)
• Master Gardeners, Composters, and Naturalists
• Organizations. like garden clubs and native plant societies
• Library talks and presentations
• Botanic gardens and nature centers
• City foresters or parks departments

5. Plant!

No matter how big or small your goal and no matter the time of year, you can plant something. Get started today by planting and enjoy the anticipation of waiting for sprouts.

If you can grow outdoors this time of year, you can visit a local garden supply store for seeds. You can plant them into containers if your growing area isn’t ready yet.

If it’s too hot or cold to grow outside, start by sprouting some broccoli, alfalfa, or beans in a jar (and then eating them!). Or try planting a container with greens in a sunny window or under grow lights.

Since we’ve got more space here on the blog than in the interview, let me give you one bonus idea you can use to get your kids involved in gardening today…

Bonus: Go outside and explore.

Sometimes, the best way to start is the simplest. Get everyone dressed for the weather and go outside.

Watch. Listen. Smell. Feel. Be.

Enjoy being together and being outside. Start with these simple pleasures, and you’re sure to keep coming back for more!

Want to start putting these ideas into action? Click here to download a printable worksheet and write down your plans for getting kids gardening.

Now, I’d love to hear from you.

What are the first steps you take to get started in the garden?

I look forward to reading your thoughts in the comments below!