Ideas for a Vegetable Garden Themed for Kids

As a new grandmother I looked into some ideas for planting a themed edible garden with kids in mind.
Animals in the Garden
Elephant Garlic
Horseradish
Jacob’s Cattle Dry Bean
Panther Cauliflower
Painted Serpent Cucumber
Flashy Trout Back Lettuce
Baby Bear Pumpkin
Polar Bear Pumpkin
Honey Bear Acorn Squash
Speckled Swan Gourd
Snow Leopard Honeydew
Green Zebra Tomatoes
Wooly Bear Gourd

Decorate the area with some animal themed or patterned decorations. You can even talk about how the plants resemble the animals they are named after. Jacob’s Cattle Bean, for example, has a pattern on it similar to cows.

Magical, Mythical and Made-Up Garden
Merlin Beets
Green Magic Broccoli
Hercules Carrot
Skywalker Cauliflower
Mystique Corn
Barbarella, Gretel, and Kermit Eggplant
Gremlins and Goblin Egg Gourds
Lancelot Leeks
Vulcan Red Leaf Lettuce or Spock Red Romaine
Bambi Green Leaf Lettuce
Athena Melons
Buttercup Squash

This garden would be fun for any child, as well as for the young-at-heart gardener. Wouldn’t reading them a fairy tale in the garden create a wonderful memory for both of you?

Themes for older kids could include a Geography and History Garden with plants such as Marvel of Venice Beans and Fourth of July Tomatoes. While you’re waiting for the veggies to grow, you could mark a map at the sites the plants are named after, and certainly read some great history stories.

Sharing gardening time with kids will make a lifetime impression on them; teaching them where their food comes from could make that time a lot healthier.

Gardening Jones is a master gardener in Pennsylvania. Learn more atgardeningjones.com/blog.
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Grow a rainbow garden with the kids. All the seeds you need are included in the Rainbow Kitchen Garden collection.

Get great ideas and advice for gardening with children in Project Garden.

Pint-size tools: children's garden rake; children's Dutch hoe; children's digging fork.