One of the best ways to encourage your kids to eat more vegetables is to grow them yourself! Getting kids involved in gardening is a great way to expose them to new healthy foods, and it’s a lot of fun! Here are some gardening tips for kids, including how to set up your garden, easy plants for kids to grow, and local resources.
Setting up your egetable garden
If you’re gardening for the first time or it’s the first time that the kids will be more involved, it may be helpful to start with a smaller garden. Tending to so many new-to-you plants can quickly become overwhelming. I’d recommend starting with 4-5 vegetables and focus on those. Next year, add a couple more in.
Raised beds tend to have better drainage than planting directly into the ground, so they may need to be watered more frequently. Make sure to help your child water plants so they don’t overwater and drown them. As for the pots, simple is better. But remember, your pot MUST have a drainage hole or the plant won’t grow.
Easy growing and low maintenance vegetable plants
Choose easy and durable plants that need little maintenance as they grow. Below are some suggested plants to get your garden started:
- Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Radishes
- Zucchini
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Green beans
- Peppers
- Eggplants
- Potatoes
- Carrots
- Herbs
Helpful Mom Tips
- If you don’t want to start plants from seed, you can buy seedlings, which is WAY easier. My boys like to pick out the budding plants and plant them in the garden right away!
- Plant what you like. There’s no point in planting kale (even if it’s easy) if you don’t like it. Put your energy into planting vegetables that your family enjoys.
- Do not overplant (a lot of the plants on the list above are considered “prolific producers”) unless you want to be the person handing out multiple bags of veggies to neighbors. Just a couple of plants will suffice for most families.
- Keep in mind, gardening is an experiment. Every year is different, and weather plays a huge role!
Farms and Nurseries in the Manhattan area
5-H Greenhouses
17675 High St., Wamego, KS 66547
A&H Farm
1374 Collins Ln., Manhattan, KS 66502
Blueville Nursery, Inc.
4539 Anderson Ave., Manhattan, KS 66503
Britt’s Farm
1000 S. Scenic Dr., Manhattan, KS 66503
The Fork in the Road, LLC
11363 Kansas Spur, Riley, KS 66531
Horticultural Services Garden Center
8450 US-24, Manhattan, KS 66502
Kaw Valley Greenhouses, Inc.
3007 Anderson Ave., Manhattan KS 66503 (behind the MDCC)
130 Sarber Ln., Manhattan, KS 66502 (In front of Dillon’s)
Love’s Gardens
521 Richard’s Dr., Manhattan, KS 66502
Taussig Landscape and Garden Center
4245 Appleyard Rd., Wamego, KS 66547
Mom tip: Don’t forget to swing by the Manhattan Farmers’ Market! Here, you can not only chat with local farmers about gardening, but some will have plants at the market for sale.
