We here at Sassafras have talked a lot about the benefits of gardening with children. I started gardening with my children when they were very young and I have discovered that some plants are favored over others when it comes to gardening with kids.

Some of these crops are better for kids because they sprout faster, some get really big and some are just pretty. These top 5 crops to plant with your children are great for keeping the kids interested in learning all about gardening.

Top 5 Crops to Plant with Your Children

1. Zucchini

Zucchini plants are very easy to grow and they sprout quickly. A zucchini plant will sprout in as little as 4 to 9 days, which is very exciting when you have kids that want to go out and look for plants every day and sometimes even more than once each day. Additionally, zucchini can grow very large, very quickly and that is just too exciting for kids. Imagine holding up a vegetable that is as big as your arm, that’s why these are so exciting for kids. We also have experience with zucchini plants that are very extreme overproducers. My kids love to give our excess to our neighbors. Easy, fast, and impressive size, but it takes a good recipe to get children excited about zucchini.

2. Sunflower

There is just something about sunflowers, don’t you think? Sunflowers are a must for any garden, especially ones that kids will be working in! They sprout in as little as a week and will grow up to 2 feet in a month! If you are wanting to eat the seeds after they are grown, be sure to buy the right type of sunflower as they are not all edible.

3. Radishes

My kids hate eating radishes, but love growing them. That’s because they sprout in as little as 3 days and are ready to harvest in as little as 20 days! My kids’ grandparents absolutely love radishes, so they enjoy growing them to give to them as gifts. They say that they like to “grow food for others to eat.”

4. Cherry Tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes are always a kids favorite. They are so cute and just the right size for kids. This is a great crop to grow even if you don’t have space for a garden, because they grow very well in pots.

5. Lettuce

Want to get your kids interested in eating salad? Let them plant lettuce in your garden. Lettuce sprouts in a little over a week and depending on the variety you choose, lettuce growing season can be as little as 30 days, though it typically lasts between 40 and 50 days. .

How to prepare your kids for gardening

Make sure that your kids are ready for gardening season with the right tools. The tools that you need include the following:

Play/Work Clothes

Make sure your kiddos have clothes available to wear that you don’t care if they get dirty or not. Trust me, they will get dirty.

Gardening Gloves

Your kiddos will be getting very dirty hands and you never know when they might run into a thorn or two along the way while weeding, etc. Grab them some gardening gloves of their very own to protect them.

Watering Pitching

If you have a larger garden, you really want to have a sprinkler system, or other watering system. That being said, if your kid is helping you to work in the garden, they are going to want to do some watering themselves. Providing them with their own watering pitcher is a great way to allow them to take on the work of taking care of their garden and it shows them the responsibility of watering their garden. This adorable snail watering pitcher that we have here at Sassafras is so cute and a perfect watering pitcher for kids.

Accessorize the Garden

During your downtime while waiting for sprouts to pop up, be sure to let your kiddos accessorize the garden with these fun gardening pieces that we have too! They will just love putting their own artistic touch on the garden.

paint your own garden gnome

gnomes are thought to bring good luck to your garden. these gnomes are especially lucky because they will be painted by a very special child! gnome include paintbrush & 8 paints. gift boxed.

paint your own fairy garden set

decorate these fairies then tuck them in your garden so they can folic under the flowers by night! includes: 2 fairies, fairy house, paintbrush & 6 paints.

paint your own bird bath

splish, splash bird bath! set includes bath, bottom base, paint brush & 12 paints.