Designate a small patch, plant those seeds, take field trips to the nursery and find joy in the purpose of the lowly worm. With that first sprout, your child will be on his or her way to a love of gardening.

A Patch of One’s Own: “My sign says ‘Amy’s Garden.’”
For encouraging your child’s green thumb, there’s nothing like setting aside a small plot—say, 4x4 feet—as his or her own garden. Make sure the location is promising, with good sunlight and healthy, well-drained soil, and preferably within view of the house.

The first job is preparing the soil: weeding, spading, making the surface smooth. Even eight-year-olds (and older) may need adult help with the spading, but kids are great at removing stones and raking, especially if the soil has been prepared.

Nursery Plants: “I want the one with buds!”

You can save waiting time by visiting the nursery together to buy some established young plants of your child’s choosing. Include some flowers that will reward with lasting blooms, such as impatiens or Russian sage. Transplanting—“oh, look at those zillion roots!”—teaches tender handling, spacing and the importance of preparing an adequate hole. Then remind your little gardener to make sure the plants have plenty of water over the next few days to help them adjust to life out of the pot. (You'll surely have to offer reminders!)

Gentle Lessons: “Worms aren’t icky, they’re good.”

Your child's first red tomato—what a delicious victory! Kids make mistakes, of course: They step on their favorite flower and cry; they can’t tell spinach from a weed…at first. But a child who collaborates with the earth in a garden has made friends with earthworms, rain and time.

Books with Great Ideas: I recommend Gardening with Kids by Catherine Woram and Martyn Cox, and A Child’s Garden by Molly Dannenmaier.

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