There are many benefits to gardening with kids. They take so much pride in growing plants by themselves and, in the process, learn new life skills and lessons about nature. If your children are older and have ventured into the world of cooking, growing vegetables for meals can teach a great lesson about where our food comes from.
Gardening with children does not need to be complicated. It may require patience, but get your cameras out because it will be cute. Keep your supply list minimal, and invite them to help you select what they want to grow. They may surprise you!
Many plants can appeal to kids and get them excited about gardening. Whether the appeal is tasty veggies, colorful flowers, or speed of growth, I’ve compiled a list of 21 plants that are easy and fun to plant with kids. I hope you find more than one suitable for your gardening needs. Let’s dig in!
Amaryllis
Plant amaryllis in a sunny container and enjoy them as cut flowers in your home.
 | botanical name Hippeastrum spp. |
|---|---|
 | sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
 | height 1-2 feet |
 | hardiness zones 8-11 |
If you want to bring your gardening indoors during the winter months, amaryllis is a great plant to grow with little ones. The growth process is fun to watch, can be done in any sunny area indoors, and the big, bold blooms are a treat for kids to see.
While you may be familiar with these flowers around the winter holidays, they can bloom all year round. It just depends on when you plant the bulbs. Once you purchase your bulbs, plant them in a container and keep the pots in a bright, sunny area. You may need to stake your plants as the leaves and stems begin to grow.
These flowers can be cut and added to bouquets. Or, you can leave them in the pot and enjoy them around your home.
Basil
Consider growing basil in your garden or containers as a versatile, flavorful culinary herb.
| | botanical name Ocimum basilicum |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | height 2-3 feet |
| | hardiness zones 2-11 |
If you are looking for a resilient plant that is easy to use in cooking, basil is the plant for you. This plant is just as lush as it is tasty. Kids will enjoy picking leaves to contribute to culinary creations. Best of all, they can even grow their own plant in a container if they have a sunny bedroom window.
Plant your basil from seed if you have time, or grab a plant from a local farm. Pot your basil in a raised bed or a container for the best results. When you notice the white flowers beginning to form, pinch them off to encourage more leaves!
Use basil to show kids how to make pesto, add it to your pasta dishes, or freeze it with olive oil to add a splash of summer flavor throughout the chilly winter months.
Cherry Tomato
Enjoy fresh, easy-to-grow, and colorful miniature tomatoes in summer.
| | botanical name Solanum lycopersicum |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | height 3-10 feet, varies greatly between varieties |
| | hardiness zones 2-11 |
Nothing is better on a warm summer day than picking a juicy cherry tomato from the plant. These plants are easy to grow and will produce tons of juicy treats for your kids to relish all summer.
There are many different varieties of cherry tomatoes to choose from. From the standard red varieties to ‘Sun Gold,’ there is a cherry tomato even for those kiddos who are not the biggest fans of tomatoes.
Plant these jewel-toned beauties in window boxes, patio pots, or raised veggie beds. Whatever vessel you choose, be sure it is positioned in full sun!
Chives
Chives’ purple flowers have surprising versatility for culinary or decorative use, and the stems are great, too!
| | botanical name Allium schoenoprasum |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| | height 1-2 feet |
| | hardiness zones 3-9 |
Seeing my children in the backyard munching on fresh chives has become common at my home. The aroma and flavor are strong and delicious. Chive flowers are the most commonly picked flowers for me by my sons. I never saw this one coming!
Planting chives is simple. Maintaining them is even easier. Our chive garden began in a container, where it remains today. Once you have decided where your chives will grow, allow your children to scatter a few seeds on top of the soil. Lightly press them down and sprinkle them with water. You should notice seedlings emerging in about two weeks!
Once they are fully grown, it is easy for kids to pick a few chives for eggs or salads. The purple flowers are also edible but can be used for sweet flower arrangements for tea time or on your kitchen windowsill.
Cosmos
In any summer garden, the delicate foliage and abundant, fairy-like cosmos flowers bring joy.
| | botanical name Cosmos bipinnatus |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | height 1-5 feet |
| | hardiness zones 2-11 |
Cosmos are one of the happiest flowers in any summer garden. Their lace-like foliage paired with their dainty, yet plentiful, flowers gives them a fairy-like appearance that kids love.
Cosmos can be started from seed easily, but they are also available as nursery starts at garden centers. If you wish to start your plants from seed, try the ‘Sea Shells’ blend. It offers a variety of pink or white flowers.
Plant your cosmos in flower beds or a container. You can deadhead the flowers to promote a second bloom, or you can allow the flowers to go to seed and collect the seeds for next year!
Cucumber
These kid-friendly plants are easy to cultivate in patio pots or in raised beds and can be trained to a trellis.
| | botanical name Cucumis sativus |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | height 1-2 feet |
| | hardiness zones 2-11 |
Cucumbers make a perfect kid-friendly plant because many kids love cucumbers, or at least their counterpart: the pickle.
Cucumbers are easy to grow and even more delicious straight off the vine than they are from the store. You can easily grow cucumbers in a pot on your patio with a trellis. This is a great way to save space while keeping your plants accessible.
Try making refrigerator pickles with your cucumber harvest. This is an easy way to enjoy fresh pickles your kids can help to make!
Daffodil
Experience the magic of spring with kids as you plant these fascinating, easy-to-handle bulbs.
| | botanical name Narcissus spp. |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| | height 1-2 feet |
| | hardiness zones 4-8 |
Nothing is more magical than seeing daffodils peeking their yellow heads out of the ground in the spring. Having kids help you plant these magical plants makes it even more fun! The process of how bulbs grow is amazing and can offer endless conversation opportunities.
Bulbs are like giant seeds as far as kids are concerned. They are easy to handle and hard to lose! Dig a hole a few inches deep. The depth will depend on the type of daffodil you are growing, so check the package! Place the bulb with the pointy side facing up, and bury the bulb. If your fall is very dry, you will want to water your bulbs now and then. If not, all you need to do is sit back and relax.
In the spring, sit back and watch these beauties pop up. Kids can help you pick these flowers, and you can enjoy them inside just as much as outside.
Lettuce
Growing this leafy green with your kids is a quick and educational way to show them where food comes from.
| | botanical name Lactuca sativa |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| | height 6 inches to 1 foot |
| | hardiness zones 2-11 |
If you serve salads with your dinners, growing lettuce with your children is a fast-growing way to teach them where food comes from.
Salad greens, such as baby mesclun greens, can even be grown indoors. I like to plant lettuce in my deck containers so that I can hop outside quickly to harvest a snack. Gently press the lettuce seeds into the soil and wait about two weeks for your seedlings to emerge.
You can harvest the lettuce whenever you like, but definitely before it flowers. Enjoy in a salad or on a sandwich.
Lima Bean
Extend the fun to your home garden by planting these seeds after your last frost date.
| | botanical name Phaseolus lunatus |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | height 2-12 feet |
| | hardiness zones 2-11 |
Most likely, the first plant you grew from seed in school was a lima bean. So why not extend that into your home gardens?
Plant your lima bean seeds after the threat of frost has passed. You can start your seeds inside or outside, whichever works best for you. You will begin to see seedlings emerging within two weeks.
Lima beans can take about 90 days to be mature enough to harvest. Collect the bean pods, and make a project of shelling the beans with your children. Freeze the beans, or use them in a dish for dinner!
Marigold
Starting marigold plants with your kids can be fun, and their bright colors pop out in the garden.
| | botanical name Tagetes patula ‘Lemon Drop’ |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| | height 6-12 inches |
| | hardiness zones 2-11 |
Marigolds are a great plant to start by seed with your little ones. They come in bright colors and myriad textures and grow quickly. If seed starting isn’t your thing, you can buy marigolds in six packs from your garden center in the summertime and have just as much fun in the garden.
If you plan on starting marigolds from seed, press them about ¼ of an inch into the soil in groups of 3 seeds. Seedlings will emerge in about two weeks.
I love to direct-sow marigold seeds around my vegetable gardens. Transplant your marigolds into your flower beds, a children’s themed garden, or window boxes! The blossoms will brighten your gardens, while the aroma can help keep critters away!
Mint
You can grow mint in a pot to control its rapidly spreading nature.
| | botanical name Mentha spp. |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| | height 1-2 feet |
| | hardiness zones 5-9 |
Growing up, I had a mint plant growing right outside my window. The aroma was enticing enough for me to try to eat the leaves. I was disappointed when it didn’t taste like candy. But now I have a deep appreciation for mint.
Grab a pot and some mint seeds or plants from the local garden center. This plant is best grown in a container because it can get invasive if left to its own devices. Press the seeds into the surface of your soil and keep them moist until seedlings emerge.
Mature mint leaves make a yummy decaf tea that kids and adults enjoy. Don’t forget to save some for salads and those adult beverages once the kids are in bed.
Mums
Plant fall-flowering plants when the kids return to school to take advantage of cooler temperatures.
| | botanical name Chrysanthemum spp. |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | height 1-2 feet |
| | hardiness zones 7-9 |
Have fun celebrating the changing of the seasons with your little ones. When the kids are back in school, and the temperatures cool off, it is time to plant your fall mums.
While these plants are already fully grown when you buy them at the garden center, it is still a fun task to have kids help with. Digging the hole and watering are very important tasks, after all.
If you prefer, you can plant perennial mums or New England asters instead. These plants are just as beautiful in the fall as their annual cousins, but they return year after year.
Pansy
Plant pansies in your containers and beds, and teach your kids to care for these vibrant flowers.
| | botanical name Viola spp. |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| | height 6 inches to 1 foot |
| | hardiness zones 6-10 |
When the warmth of the spring sun finally arrives in your area, you likely are ready to run right out to the garden center and pick up a six-pack or two of pansies.
These brightly-colored flowers are so easy to grow, and the size of the six-pack plugs is perfect for little hands. After planting your windowboxes and containers, add a few to a raised bed or the windowbox of your child’s playhouse. Give them the responsibility to water their flowers. You just might be surprised by how attached they become to those little flowers.
When spring has ended, and you are ready to switch up your planters, dig up the pansies and plant them in a partially shaded garden area. They will rebloom in the fall. This is a great lesson in patience for all of us!
Radish
Growing these quick-maturing plants with kids is a delight; they can enjoy snacking on them almost immediately.
| | botanical name Raphanus sativus |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | height 6 to 8-inch leaf tops |
| | hardiness zones 2-11 |
Radishes are great to grow with kids because they mature very quickly and can be snacked on immediately!
There are a lot of different varieties of radish. Some prefer to grow in the spring. Others prefer the fall. Press radish seeds ½ inch into the ground and cover with soil. You will see germination in 5-10 days.
Radish should not be started indoors because it does not transplant well. Plant new seeds every week or two for a season-long radish harvest.
Snapdragon
These beautiful flowers are perfect for kids and can be used throughout the garden.
| | botanical name Antirrhinum majus |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | height 6 inches to 3 feet |
| | hardiness zones 5-10 |
Snapdragons are beautiful flowers that are extremely easy to grow, making them perfect for little hands. When the flowers bloom, you can show kids how to squeeze the base to make the “dragon’s” mouth snap open.
While snapdragons are hardy in some areas, they are often grown as annuals. Grab a packet of seeds or some nursery starts to add to your containers or window boxes. Snapdragons also make great additions to your flower beds or fairy gardens.
Snapdragons also make nice additions to bouquets and arrangements. Snip a few to enjoy indoors.
Sprouts ‘Sandwich Mix’
Consider growing microgreens as an indoor project, like a mild-tasting “sandwich mix” that’s lunchbox-friendly.
| | botanical name Medicago sativa subsp. sativa, Trifolium pratense, Raphanus sativus |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Partial shade |
| | height 1-3 inches |
| | hardiness zones 2-11 |
Growing sprouts is a great place to start if you want to try an easy indoor gardening activity with your kids. There are various microgreens and sprouts that you could grow in your home. I like this ‘Sandwich Mix’ because it is mild in taste, and they are easy to add to your child’s lunchbox. Kids are more likely to eat these nutritious greens when they’ve had a hand in growing them!
You can quickly grow sprouts in a seed sprouter, and you will be able to harvest them within a week. You can also grow sprouts in your kitchen using a mason jar and lid.
Begin by soaking your seeds for about 12 hours, then spread your seeds in your growing vessel. Keep your seeds moist, watering every day. You will be able to harvest your sprouts within a week.
Strawberry
Grow these kid-friendly and easy-to-cultivate plants from seeds or nursery starts.
| | botanical name Fragaria vesca |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| | height 3-9 inches |
| | hardiness zones 5-9 |
Strawberries are easy to grow and make the perfect little garden snack for kids. You can start your strawberry plants from seed or pick up some nursery starts and plant them in a garden or a container.
Strawberry seeds should be started indoors three months before your last frost date. This will help the plant mature enough to produce strawberries in the first year. Grabbing some plants is even easier, especially if you start with bare-root plants in the fall or early spring.
Plant your strawberries in a vertical planter, in your edible garden, or add them to one of your ornamental containers. The plants and flowers truly are beautiful.
Sunflower
Kid-friendly sunflowers have large seeds and bold flowers and are showstoppers in the garden.
| | botanical name Helianthus annuus |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | height Varies by variety |
| | hardiness zones 2-11 |
Sunflowers might be the perfect first seed for a child. The seeds are big, the flowers are bold, and sometimes the seeds are edible!
Every year, my children and I plant ‘Teddy Bear’ dwarf sunflowers. We love the fluffy flowers they produce, but there are many different types of sunflowers, from small to gigantic. Plant your sunflower seeds about one inch deep in the soil and keep the soil moist. In about two weeks, you will notice seedlings germinating.
Flowers should emerge by the end of the summer and last into the fall. Plant your sunflowers around your garden, or plan ahead and plant a sunflower fort. Plant your seedlings in a hoop or square shape. As the plants emerge, so will the walls. What a dreamy way to spend a summer day.
Tulip
Planting these bulbs in the autumn is a fun garden task for kids.
| | botanical name Tulipa spp. |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | height 1-2 feet |
| | hardiness zones 3-8 |
Planting bulbs with kids is such a great autumn garden task. There is such a large collection of tulips on the market that shopping for the bulbs may just be the most fun part of the task!
Grab your garden trowel or bulb planter and head out to the garden. Follow the planting instructions on the bulb packaging, and bury the bulb with the pointy side facing up. Cover with soil and wait for spring to come!
Try planting a rainbow of tulip bulbs with a few of each rainbow color. Alternatively, plant a garden with early, mid, and late-blooming tulips to ensure the color lasts throughout spring.
Watermelon
Grow this sweet summer fruit in your backyard by planting seeds a few weeks after the last frost.
| | botanical name Citrullus lanatus |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | height 1-2 feet |
| | hardiness zones 2-11 |
Eating fresh watermelon should be a summertime requirement. Imagine growing this crop in your backyard and harvesting fresh melons whenever you want!
Plant these classic-looking seeds a few weeks after your last frost. Push seeds about one inch down into the ground and cover with soil. You will soon begin to see leaves and vines sprawling in your yard. The watermelons themselves should appear anywhere from 70-90 days after planting.
Make a growing chart with your child, and countdown the days until you can slice into a sweet and juicy watermelon!
Zinnia
With their vibrant colors and fluffy blooms, zinnias make an ideal flower for kids to grow.
| | botanical name Zinnia elegans |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | height 1-4 feet |
| | hardiness zones 2-11 |
Zinnias are a great flower to grow with kids. They are bright, bold, and fluffy! These annual flowers can last well into the fall.
Start your zinnia seeds indoors or right in your garden! There are many different varieties of zinnia to choose from. The color combinations and sizes of the plants differ greatly. Let your child pick out which zinnia looks fun to them!
Zinnias grow nicely in flower beds but also do well in containers, raised beds, and window boxes. Deadhead the spent blossoms to promote more flowering, or snip a few stems to enjoy inside or to use in a sensory table.
Final Thoughts
There are so many kid-friendly plants out there. This list is barely the tip of the iceberg. Choose plants that work for your lifestyle and where you live. Getting your children out in the garden with you is a great sensory activity with endless learning opportunities. Allow your kids to help plant, transplant, water, and harvest. If you’re up for having them help you cook, invite them to cook a meal with your homegrown vegetables.
