6 summer gardening projects for children

With the summer holidays coming up, this is the perfect time to get children growing. I was inspired by spending time with my grandma when I was a child, as I followed her around, sowing seeds, dividing plants, and so on. It was a magical time for me!

Gardening and growing is the perfect family activity, and in this short article, I’m going to show you some ideas to get you started. From fun houseplants to animal planters, plus strawberries and easy windowsill micro greens; these growing activities are bound to capture children’s imagination. Who knows, they could even go onto work in horticulture!

 

 

When choosing gardening projects for children, it’s best to look at speed. Kids perhaps won’t have much patience, so crops like radishes and microgreens can give you results within a matter of weeks. Cacti and succulents make perfect windowsill plants, and their demands are low, so they won’t need toooo much attention when the kids get distracted by the next new toy!

 

 

If you’re lucky to get your hands on one, the TomTato plant is always much loved by children. This is a plant that I worked on creating, and it’s one plant that produces tomatoes AND potatoes!

Anyway, here’s a few of my suggestions for growing with the kids this summer holiday!

1. Fun Planters

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The only way to inspire children to get growing, is to make it fun. A boring terracotta pot just doesn’t compare to these fun containers! I’ve planted up an elephant and a bird, with a mix of garden plants. Of course, these can also be used indoors with cacti and succulents. If you’re feeling really adventurous, you could even get some ceramic paints out..

2. Crazy Houseplants

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There are so many weird and wacky houseplants that kids will love. From the cactus with no spines, to the sensitive plant that curls up when you touch it. That’s not to mention the Venus fly trap and sticky pad Sundew. I love the Pygmy pineapple, and kids really enjoy seeing how they grow. I’m also a big fan of this bonsai fig, and I think the trunk is just waiting to have a face painted onto it!

3. Windowsill harvests

You can grow a few different vegetables and salad crops on the windowsill. Of course, microgreens are perfect for this too. It’s just like the cress that we grew when we were kids, but in more colours and flavours. Use a handy windowsill propagator to keep your windowsill vegetable garden neat and tidy. You might choose to grow your microgreens in half an eggshell, and you can give the egghead many different colours of hair!

4. Strawberries

This is probably the plant that everybody grows first when they’re young. They’re quick to crop, and the joy of picking your own sweet strawberry on a summers day is just incredible. Of course, they’re pretty healthy too. Planting up now will give you a light summer crop, but will establish the plants well for next years bumper harvest!

5. Patio Ponds!

Patio ponds are not only fun for kids, but they offer an important habitat for wildlife on the patio. You can upcycle any container, as long as you plug up the drainage hole. You can use a mixture of moisture loving plants, but also oxygenators, and floating plants. Make sure you add some large rocks, so the wildlife can get in and out too. Watch out for those first dragonflies!

6. Cacti and Succulents

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Even now, the thought of growing a collection of cacti and succulents just gets me excited. There is such an amazing range of types, it’s almost like a sweet shop of plants! They are also very forgiving, so ideal for kids to tackle as their first growing experience. Marvel at all the different shapes and colours, perhaps even build a cactus theatre in your child’s bedroom. Just watch the spines!

 

Where to get your supplies

Very have an amazing range of products to help get kids involved with gardening this summer! If you’ve seen anything you like in this blog post, browse the list below to purchase directly from their website:

1. Pack 12 Strawberry ‘Sweet Colossus’ plug plants

2. Elephant Planter

3. Bird Planter

4. Indoor Succulents Mix 6 types in mini 5.5cm plants

5. Indoor Cactus Mix 6 types in 5.5cm pots
6. Real Pineapple Plant with fruit in 14cm pot
7. Complete Patio Pond Kit – plants, gravel and bowl
8. Windowsill Propagator Kit
9. Ficus Microcarpa Ginseng ‘Bonsai Fig’ 14cm Pot

 

Which projects would you love to try most with your kids? Leave a comment in the section below!