Forget the quarter acre section: container gardening with kids is the way of the future! As sections become smaller and more families live in apartments, we no longer have the space for large gardens. Container gardening gives us the opportunity to introduce the world of plants to our kids. Today I’m sharing three exciting container garden ideas for you and your kids to try.
The Little Garden promotion at New World opened up the world of growing flowers and vegetables for many children. By providing kids with the tools they needed to become miniature gardeners, they’ve made growing things seem fun again.
I don’t know about you, but I remember my grandparents having a wonderful garden. A few fruit trees, immaculate rose bushes and a bountiful vegetable garden are my main memories. The dream of owning the famous quarter acre section to do this just won’t be happening for many of us.
Thankfully, not all is lost. While it can never replace a large garden, container gardening makes a great alternative. I thought I’d share three of my family’s favourite ideas to get you started.
3 Fun Container Gardening Ideas for Kids to Try
- Hanging basket strawberries – one of the annoying things about growing strawberries is that they rot when touching the ground. The answer to this is to grow them in a hanging basket instead. You can plant in the top and around the edges, draping growing strawberries over the edge by hand. Or you could make slices in the side of the basket and pop the plants through those instead. You could try replacing the hanging baskets with clean cans with holes punched in the bottom too.
- Gumboot planter – here’s what you can do with old gumboots: upcycle them! Why not plant some herbs inside a gumboot: it’s not like it hasn’t seen plenty of mud action already.
- Upcycled milk bottle – cut a milk bottle in half, put the top into the recycling bin, and fill the bottom with soil. Sprinkle grass seeds on top, and then decorate the outside of the bottle with a face. When the grass grows, you have some adorable green hair. Best of all, your child can enjoy giving their creation a regular hair cut too!
If you haven’t checked out our article about making hanging kokedamas, then you must do so. You will make a ‘container’ of sphagnum moss, ideal for planting something like a fern or small house plant in. Remember, our Children’s Craft Aprons are great for keeping little people’s clothes clean when container gardening … so order now!
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