How to Make Your Kids Enjoy Gardening Even in Winter

Gardening in the winter with kids is both fun and educational. They get to witness the natural growth of plants while also learning their importance. It’s easy to imagine hanging out with your kids in the garden when the sun is up during the spring and summer seasons. Still, what about the winter season? Yes, it is a cold season and is not the best time to look for the lush green growth of your plants. However, it is definitely possible to have fun in gardening with kids in winter. Here, we’ve got several options that you should consider.

Try Having an Indoor Herb Garden

If it’s too cold to go outside, why not bring gardening inside your home? One of the best things about herb gardens is that they are easy to create. Likewise, your kids will see the growth of plants in no time. As long as you place the herb garden near a window sill, they will get sufficient sunlight to grow.

As a bonus for your kids, you should let them choose the pots to be used. These small pots can vary in color and design. As for the herbs themselves, there is a lot to choose from. Tell your kids the available options and have them pick what to grow. Herbs such as basil, parsley, thyme, chives, and rosemary will likely get picked. After all, these herbs are commonly used to add more flavor to meals.

Moreover, planting herbs such as thyme and rosemary would be great for your kids since they are tough. They only need to be watered every two weeks to thrive. Once they are ready, just tell your kids to pinch them away using their fingers. Not only is this simple to do but it also allows your kids to prune the plants and help them grow better.

Have a look at some indoor herb gardens here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAhydaG7wTg

Go to a Garden Center

If there isn’t much to do in your own garden, you can always go around and look for a local garden center. This place is meant to engage people of all ages to the wonderful world of gardening. No matter the time of the year, a local garden center will likely have workshops and events for children.

Moreover, the staff here will tell the kids all they need to know about gardening. They can inform them about the best seeds to plan even during winter. Additionally, the garden center will likely have a store where you can buy seeds and pots with your kids for your garden at home.

Use Fallen Leaves

 Before winter arrives, your garden will be characterized by falling leaves due to the autumn season. Instead of just throwing them away, you and your kids should gather them into a big pile for composting. If there is some manure available, add those to the compost along with water before heating.

Another way to use the fallen autumn leaves is to conduct mulching. Simply collect the leaves using a lawn sweeper and put them on the garden bed. This is easy to do for your kids. Mulching will keep the plant roots warm during the cold winter season. Also, the soil will get nutrients from the leaves as they begin to rot.

 

Plant Vegetables

Of course, there are still a lot of plants that your kids can grow in winter. Even better is that they can eat them once they are ready for picking. Specifically, the children can plant vegetables such as lettuce, cauliflower, radish, spring onion, broccoli, beetroot, and turnips. Plant these vegetables every two weeks and your family will surely have crops to eat throughout the winter season.

 

Have a Worm Farm

Your kids probably like to look at animals. Well, why not have them create their very own worm farm? Not only is this fun but also helps them understand the value of animals such as butterflies, birds, and worms in the garden. With a worm farm, you will have a quick way to have compost for your garden.

Simply get a sizable box made of cardboard and place a plastic trash bag around it. The container should be filled with soil and some worms. Also, it must be placed in an area with ample shade to encourage moisture. To keep the worms well-fed, you should tell your kids to put food scraps such as vegetables in the cardboard box.

Overall, there are many ways to have fun with your kids even in winter – and that includes gardening. From planting vegetables and herbs to mulching and composting, there is always something fun and educational to do.

If you have any questions, please give us a comment.

This post was written by Ann Sanders, a gardening blogger at AGreenHand. Her goal is to provide everyone with a wide range of tips about organic gardening. Find her on Twitter and Facebook