The weather is lovely here in Arizona – considering that most of the midwest is struggling with cold temps and the east coast is getting hammered by snow, I consider myself to be very lucky.
Last year we had quite a wonderful summer for a backyard garden and with temps in the 60’s/70’s this past few weeks, my kids are itching to put spring plants in.
They all want different things – one child wants tomatoes, the other wants cucumbers, two of them want apples (I don’t think they realize it takes a few years for those trees to start producing) and the baby – well, she just wants to walk around with empty plant pots and stuff dirt in her mouth at every available opportunity.
Getting kids involved in gardening can be a difficult task, depending on their ages. I personally find herbs to be one of the easiest things to grow – and something that can give kids relatively quick satisfaction just because they grow quickly and are typically low maintenance.
5 Herbs that Are Easy for Kids to Grow
Most herbs can be grown indoors or outdoors, whether in a bed, raised garden or simply in pots on the back patio. Whatever you choose to do, it will help keep your kids motivated in wanting to be more involved in gardening.
Mint
This herb grows incredibly fast and matures quickly – it also smells wonderful! Just be sure to have your kids grow mint in containers as it tends to spread quickly. Your kids will enjoy pulling the mint leaves and eating them directly from their garden or add them to chocolate pudding to make a chocolate minty taste.
Teach your kids how to dry mint without the need of a dehydrator, and they can use it to make fresh tea each day. You can also use mint to make fresh mint pesto.
Chives
This is an even easier herb for kids to grow because they can pick a chive from an outside location and grow it inside. Chives are the perfect herb for kids to grow who are a bit younger. Simply take chives from an established plant, including the roots. Cover the roots in a container full of soil and cut off the top of the chives to encourage new growth.
Dill
This fun herb is great for kids to grow because they will enjoy the fun texture of dill as it matures. Kids can use dill in so many ways – veggie dip, or chopped & eaten with tuna sandwiches. You could use dill to teach your kids how to pickle cucumbers as well.
We planted our dill last fall just as the weather was starting to cool down – huge plus, because dill loves cool temps. Just remember though that it’s much easier to start dill in the garden though than transplant, as it doesn’t do well if moved.
One of the benefits of growing dill is that both the leaves and the seeds of the dill weed plant are edible – making it one of our favorites to grow with the kids.
Basil
Since this herb grows well with dry to moderate levels of water, it encourages a successful harvest for your kids who may forget to water their herb garden. This mild flavor herb is perfect for kids who may need to get some practice in regularly watering their herbs. Basil is great to add to orange juice and salads, enjoy watching your kids take pride in trying basil in their morning juice.
Our basil plants have been plentiful all year in fact, they are growing quite wild and crazy. We’ve been loving the opportunity to make lots of basil pesto,
and if we have an abundance, we usually freeze it to use later on.
Lemon Balm
This is a great herb for your kids to grow because it works well as a mosquito repellent. If anything, this one is best planted in large containers on the patio to allow everyone to sit outside without being pestered by mosquitos.
Helping your kids learn how to start a garden by way of herbs is one of the easiest ways to get them involved in being outside and working with their hands.
Not only does it make a wonderful homeschool project, it’ll teach your kids how to be more self sufficient and give them the opportunity to rely more on their hard work and efforts and less on regular trips to the grocery store.
Who knows – it might even encourage them to discover new foods that they love.
