kids grow - gardening for children

Gardening with children

The one-stop download page for parents and educators to find the best resources to start children gardening and growing plants.

Gardening with kids is a great way to get the whole family out into the fresh air. And what better place to start than by giving kids a small vegetable patch so they can sow and grow their own fruit and veg? Don't worry if you have a small garden – most of the crops we’ve chosen can be started on window sills and grown in containers.

Are your children more interested in colour and design? Here are some of the best flowers and plants for kids to grow. Encourage them to fill window boxes, hanging baskets, patio containers and borders – it will brighten up your home and keep pollinators happy too.

Download the child-friendly PDF guides below to get started. And remember to check back regularly throughout the year – we're adding new guides all the time. Have fun gardening with your children!

Growing fruit, veg and salad with children

Kids Grow: Potatoes

Easy to grow in containers, watch as a few seed potatoes magically multiply into a huge bag of spuds!
Download the PDF here

Suggested varieties:

kids grow potatoes

Kids Grow: Tomatoes

Grow your own pasta sauce or pizza topping from a couple of tiny seeds. Even better - gobble down your snack tomatoes fresh from the plant!
Download the PDF here

Suggested varieties:

kids grow tomatoes

Kids Grow: Cucumbers

Outdoor cucumbers are simply delicious. Pick while they’re snack-sized to dip into hummus, or let them get larger and slice up for sandwiches.
Download the PDF here

Suggested varieties:

  • • Medium size, not too many seeds: Jogger
  • • Crunchy, snack-sized fruits: Goblin
  • • Mini juicy fruits: Diva
kids grow cucumbers

Kids Grow: Pumpkins

Pumpkins are popular at Halloween, to scoop out and carve into lanterns with scary faces! But their sweet, orange flesh is delicious to eat too.
Download the PDF here

Suggested varieties:

kids grow pumpkins

Kids Grow: Runner Beans

Large enough for tiny fingers to handle, runner bean seeds quickly grow up a pole into tall plants. The flowers are as joyful as the final crop.
Download the PDF here

Suggested varieties:

kids grow runner beans

Kids Grow: Strawberries

There’s nothing quite as special as a sun-warmed strawberry eaten straight from the plant. Ideal for hanging baskets if you’re short of space.
Download the PDF here

Suggested varieties:

kids grow strawberries

Kids Grow: Carrots

Carrots are crunchy, tasty and nutritious - and they taste even better when you grow them yourself. They're also really easy to grow - even if you don't have much space.
Download the PDF here

Coloured carrot varieties:

kids grow carrots

Kids Grow: Courgettes

Courgettes are also known as 'zucchini'. They're incredibly easy to grow, and you don't need much space. Small, bushy varieties are best for growing in containers.
Download the PDF here

Suggested courgette varieties:

kids grow courgettes

Kids Grow: Peas

Freshly-picked peas, straight from the pod, are tasty and sweet - much nicer than frozen ones from the shops. They're easy to grow, even if you don't have much space.
Download the PDF here

Suggested varieties:

kids grow peas

Kids Grow: Spinach

Spinach can be eaten raw or cooked. It's really good for you, and has more vitamins than most other vegetables.
Download the PDF here

Suggested varieties:

  • • Grow as baby leaves or larger leaves: Violin
  • • Grow outdoors or in containers: Amazon
  • • Pretty oriental variety: Mikado
kids grow spinach

Kids Grow: Radishes

If you like quick results, radishes are one of the fastest and easiest vegetables to grow - just 3-4 weeks from seed to plate!
Download the PDF here

Suggested varieties:

kids grow radishes

Kids Grow: Salad Leaves

Salad leaves are quick and easy to grow indoors or on a patio - in pots, containers or window boxes.
Download the PDF here

Suggested varieties:

kids grow salad leaves

Kids Grow: Fennel

Fennel is related to carrots and parsley. It has a white bulb with stalks, feathery leaves and seeds. All the parts are edible.
Download the PDF here

Suggested varieties:

  • • Bulbed (or 'Florence fennel'): 'Trieste', 'Zefa Fino'
  • • Seed (or 'herb fennel'): 'Bronze Fennel', 'Rubrum', 'Smokey'
  •  
kids grow fennel

Kids Grow: Chives

Chives grow like tall grass, and produce flowers which you can eat too! The flowers also attract bees and butterflies.
Download the PDF here

Types of chive:

kids grow chives

Kids Grow: Cress

Cress is a tangy, peppery herb. It's really easy and fun to grow, and super-fast: you can harvest it in just a couple of weeks!
Download the PDF here

Types of cress:

kids grow cress

Growing flowers with children

Kids Grow: Sunflowers

Sunflowers are huge, cheerful, fast-growing flowers that last all summer. What's more, you can eat the seeds!
Download the PDF here

Suggested varieties:

kids grow sunflowers

Kids Grow: Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums not only look pretty, they're edible too! You can eat the leaves and petals - they taste a bit peppery and look amazing in salads.
Download the PDF here

Suggested varieties:

kids grow nasturtiums

Kids Grow: Sweet Peas

Sweet peas are pretty flowers that smell fantastic. They look lovely in the garden or in jam jar vases for your house. Just like magic, the more you pick, the more they grow!
Download the PDF here

Suggested varieties:

kids grow sweet peas

Kids Grow: Cornflowers

Cornflowers are easy to grow wildflowers that bees and butterflies love. You can even eat the petals! Sprinkle them over salads or use them to decorate cupcakes.
Download the PDF here

Suggested varieties:

kids grow cornflowers

Kids Grow: Marigolds

Marigolds are bright orange and yellow flowers - some look like daisies and some look like pom-poms. There are French marigolds, African Marigolds and 'Pot marigolds' (not really a marigold, but a plant called 'Calendula').
Download the PDF here

Suggested varieties:

kids grow marigolds

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