Visiting Main Line gardens or arboretums would make anyone eager to start planting fruits, veggies, and flowers. The early growing season is the perfect time to get your kids gardening. From the planning to the planting, here’s how to get your kids gardening on the Main Line (and enjoy it).

Main Line Gardening with Kids Ideas

Starting a garden with your children gives you a hands-on, outdoor learning activity, right in your own yard. Involve your kids in deciding what to grow, and keep their gardening sessions short and focused to maintain their interest. Make gardening fun by turning activities like watering, weeding, and learning how to begin composting into playful games.

Find a Main Line Gardening Class or Workshop for Kids

Get your kids excited about beginning a garden. Look for kid-friendly Main Line gardening classes and activities at area gardens and arboretums for a taste of the green life. For other ways to cultivate your family’s green thumb, find nature-based Main Line events and activities to do together. 

Main Line gardening classes and workshops include the following:

• Bartram’s Garden: Family workshops and classes for children
• Longwood Gardens: Family and kid-friendly events
• Morris Arboretum & Gardens: Activities for kids and families that revolve around nature and the gardens
• Tyler Arboretum: Demonstration garden, as well as a variety of classes for children
• Winterthur Gardens: Activities and events for children

Get Kids Excited About Gardening

Main Line gardening with kids is rewarding, but what’s the best way to begin? With a little bit of preparation and some tips from local gardening experts, you’ll be ready to dig in and see what grows.

“We’ve seen it over and over — once kids get a little dirt under their fingernails, something clicks,” said Jon Kagle, owner of Kagle’s Gardens. “They slow down, look a little closer, and start asking questions. Gardening can do that. It’s hands-on, it’s rewarding, and it connects kids to something real.”

Share the Excitement of Gardening

Talk to your kids about gardening and share what you love about growing plants and connecting with nature. Ask questions to pique their curiosity. Do they know how we get fruits and veggies on our tables? How about the flowers we see popping up everywhere? Invite your child to create a garden with you.

“I think it’s so important for parents to speak from a place of excitement around the natural world,” said Bess Trout, Senior Gardener at Tyler Arboretum. “Kids, especially young ones, read the adults in their lives for cues on what things are ‘safe’ and ‘fun’. So find what excites you about nature and gardening and share that joy with kids.”

Make Gardening Connections

Follow up on your gardening discussions with some books from one of the Main Line libraries. Find books about plant life cycles, insects in the garden, and general kids’ gardening stories. Anything a parent can do to encourage Main Line gardening with kids in a positive way can help.

“Tying it into books, songs, or other things they are already interested in can be handy,” said Chris Lauf, director of education at Tyler Arboretum. “I love singing ‘Inch by inch’ with kids and reading ‘Growing Vegetable Soup’ by Lois Ehlert.”

Plan Your Garden Together

Take a walk around the neighborhood or your local hardware store. A Main Line farmer’s market is another source of gardening inspiration. Walk among the vendors to see the produce and flowers that grow in our area. Which flowers do they like? Which fruits and veggies do they like to eat? Let your children point to their favorites and talk about where to grow those plants in your yard.

“I think the most important thing is to include kids in the planning stage,” said Suzanne Safran, Director of Education at Riverbend Environmental Education Center. “Take them with you to the garden center and let them make some decisions. You can make some choices that you know are a surefire hit, but they will be much more invested if they’ve had a say in what you’re going to try to grow. 

Choose Easy Plants and Flowers

Don’t get discouraged if something doesn’t grow properly. It happens to even the best gardeners. But improve your chances of success by picking child-friendly vegetables and flowers. Make Main Line gardening with kids a little easier with these local expert plant recommendations:

• Mint: “Kids love textures, smells, and taste. So include plants like mint,” said Jon Kagle.
• Zinnias: “I love to plant zinnias from seed — they never let me down,” said Suzanne Safran.
• Sunflowers: “Include anything with big flowers,” said Jon Kagle.
• Sorrel: “This hardy, edible, early spring green is deliciously sour when eaten fresh, right out of the ground,” said Chris Lauf. “Kids often say it tastes like sour candy.”
• Cucamelon: “These adorable little cucumbers look just like a tiny watermelon, grow easily from seed, and yield tiny, delicious snackable treats,” said Bess Trout.
• Cherry tomatoes: “I love cherry tomatoes in the summer because they are so productive, fun to watch ripen, and can be eaten straight off the vine,” said Chris Lauf.  
• Lamb’s ear: Julia Boyer, Education Manager at Riverbend, recommends Lamb’s Ears because it’s tactile. “As a kid, I loved sensory plants,” she said.

A Kid-Friendly Garden Patch

Spark your child’s interest in gardening by setting aside their very own garden area. With very young children, be prepared to do most of the actual gardening while letting them play and explore. Remember, it’s OK if things aren’t perfect. Let their patch be a “yes” space.

“Give them their own spot. Even a tiny patch or a few containers is enough,” said Jon Kagle of Kagle’s Gardens. “Let them pick what they want to grow, even if it’s weird. (Purple carrots? Sure). Ownership is key.“

Growing a Main Line Garden with Kids

Parents garden with children to help them learn valuable lessons about nature, growth, and patience. To keep things fun, plan your garden together, choose easy-to-grow plants, and let kids tend their own plot. Take a relaxed approach to Main Line gardening with kids and enjoy the outdoor family fun.

Lead photograph courtesy of Bartram’s Garden.