All of these wonderful benefits await your child as he or she expresses a desire to learn more about gardening. And as parents we have the responsibility to assist our children in the learning process. As you help your child plant his or her garden you want to make sure that they learn how to do so correctly so that their plants grow, flower, and even produce fruit. But you also want your child to learn about the consequences that are a result of negligence. So below are some suggestions for steps you can take to make the process of establishing a garden as successful as possible for your child.

The first step in starting a garden for kids is to talk with your kids about the plants that they are interested in growing in their garden. Ask them about their favorite vegetables. Perhaps they would rather grow a flower garden. Growing some flowering plants and some vegetable plants is a good idea because the flowering plants attract bees that pollinate the vegetable plants. There are also certain types of plants that attract butterflies. Decide on a combination of a few plants. Do not go overboard. Start with just a few plants that your child can really devote his attention to caring for.

Another factor to consider when deciding on what plants to include when you are gardening for kids is the resiliency of the plant. You do not want to start your child off with a high maintenance plant. Some examples of kid friendly plants include the Sunflower, the Balloon flower, Lambs Ear, and Grape Hyacinth. The Sunflower and Balloon flower both have beautiful big blossoms and can grow to impressive heights (a fun thing for your child to see that they have been responsible for). The Lamb's Ear grows leaves that are very soft and the Grape Hyacinth is a pretty yet very strong plant that doesn't need much more than the occasional watering to grow well.

Once you and your kids have chosen the plants for your garden purchase the plants and any appropriate mulch or fertilizer and get to work. Help your kids with the initial planting process. Teach them that plants need good healthy soil if they are to grow. Let the kids do a lot of the digging to learn the value of hard work and to later be able to see the results of their hard work.

Once the planting is done the kids will need to water their plants regularly and make sure that their plant bed remains free of weeds and pests. It is a good idea to plant your kid's garden by your full-size garden so that they can see what it takes to make the garden grow. Encourage them to go outside with you to water and weed their plants as you do the same for yours.

If you do not have land on which you can garden, grow a container garden. Some plants do very well in container gardens and your child will be able to have a very similar gardening experience even if their garden is potted.

After much hard work it is time for harvesting. Any vegetable plants can be picked, brought inside and prepared for consumption. Parents, make a big fuss over the fact that your child is the one responsible for the great vegetables that are to be eaten. Make a meal that your child is especially fond of so that their vegetables taste even better.