Return to Blog
Share:
5 Simple Steps to Start a Child-Friendly Garden This Spring
March 12th, 2025Amelia Starr, MPH, RDN, LD, Nutrition Coordinator
Did you know March is National Nutrition Month? March 17th – 21st is also National CACFP Week, when we highlight the importance of ensuring all children have access to healthy foods!
In Minnesota, where our growing season is short, March is also the perfect time to start seeds indoors and prepare for planting season. By growing edible plants that kids will enjoy eating, providers can create fun, hands-on learning experiences that connect children to the food on their plates. Gardening with children is also a wonderful way to teach them about nature, healthy eating, and responsibility. Here’s how you can get started!
In Minnesota, where our growing season is short, March is also the perfect time to start seeds indoors and prepare for planting season. By growing edible plants that kids will enjoy eating, providers can create fun, hands-on learning experiences that connect children to the food on their plates. Gardening with children is also a wonderful way to teach them about nature, healthy eating, and responsibility. Here’s how you can get started!
Plan your garden with kid-friendly foods.
Children are more likely to eat what they help grow! Let the children help choose what to plant and involve them in discussions about how these foods help our bodies grow strong. When planning your garden, choose easy-to-grow, fast-maturing, and fun-to-eat plants such as:
Lettuce & Spinach - great for making simple salads, these tender leaves are some of the first to emerge from the soil.
Sugar Snap Peas - crunchy & delicious and can be eaten straight from the vine.
Radishes - quick-growing and great for taste-testing adventures!
Carrots - a familiar favorite, fun to pull from the ground, and naturally sweet.
Cherry Tomatoes - sweet, bite-sized, and perfect for snacking.
Gardening is also a great way to teach kids about the different edible parts of a plant! Encourage them to explore the garden and discover how and when different parts of plants grow. Have kids guess which part of the plant they’re eating (root, leaf, stem, flower, fruit, or seed) during snack or give them fun facts about the plant parts they’re eating. For example:
Carrots, radishes, and beets are roots that grow underground and soak up nutrients.
Celery and asparagus are crunchy stems we can eat.
Broccoli and cauliflower are actually flower heads!
Start seeds indoors for a head start.
Because of the short growing season in Minnesota, starting seeds indoors in March can help ensure a successful harvest. The Old Farmer’s Almanac recommends starting seeds about 6-8 weeks before the last expected frost date, which (for most of Minnesota) is typically early to mid-May. Which means it's time to start our seeds now! Easy vegetables to start indoors include tomatoes, peppers, beans, and herbs.
Use small pots or recycled containers with drainage holes, and let children help fill them with soil, plant the seeds, and water them gently. Encourage kids to track plant growth in a simple garden journal using words and/or drawings.
Create a mini greenhouse for your seedlings.
To help seedlings thrive, create a mini greenhouse using plastic lids, empty containers from greens/lettuces, or plastic wrap to trap warmth and humidity. Place the seed trays in a warm spot and check daily for signs of growth. When the seedlings sprout, move them to a sunny window or under grow-lights if you have them. Kids will look forward to checking their plants each day and celebrating the first green sprouts!
Involve kids in daily garden care.
Gardening teaches patience and responsibility, to kids and adults alike! Let children help you with:
Watering - give them small watering cans to help keep plants hydrated.
Weeding - show them how to pull weeds to keep the garden healthy and let your plants thrive.
Observing & Journaling - encourage them to note plant growth and make predictions about what & when they will harvest.
Harvesting - the most exciting part! Picking fresh veggies is a great way to connect children to their food.
Use your freshly grown foods in fun, CACFP snacks & meals.
Once your garden starts producing you can involve children in simple, kid-friendly meal prep to enjoy their harvest! Here are some easy ways to use your fresh produce:
Garden Salad Bar - Let kids build their own salad to meet the vegetable component of the CACFP meal pattern using lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and shredded carrots. Remember, a portion of lettuce or other leafy greens credit as half the volume served. For example, a ½ cup of romaine lettuce contributes ¼ cup toward the vegetable component. Check out this Green Garden Salad recipe from the Providers Choice website for inspiration!
Rainbow Veggies Wraps - Use tortillas to wrap up spinach, cucumbers, and carrots with hummus or cheese. Serve with fruit and milk for a CACFP meal.
Tomato & Cheese Skewers - Skewer cherry tomatoes with cubes of cheese for a quick & delicious CACFP snack!
Snap Pea Dippers - Serve sugar snap peas with whole grain crackers and ranch or this yogurt-based Cool as a Cucumber Dip from the Providers Choice website. A 1/3 cup of this dip plus ½ cup peas provides 0.5 oz meat/meat alternate and ½ cup vegetables for a 3-5 year old at snack.
By growing and eating their own food, children develop a deeper appreciation for both nature and fresh produce, learn healthy eating habits, and gain valuable life skills. Check out the photos below for garden inspiration from our providers at Olu’s Beginnings in Minneapolis, and Brinkman’s Bright Starts in Big Lake!
Raised garden beds at Minneapolis-based Olu’s Beginnings.
Exploring the garden at Brinkman’s Bright Starts in Big Lake.
Questions? Reach out! We love working with providers and are dedicated to supporting you.
CACFP stands for Child and Adult Care Food Program, which is a federal program for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that provides reimbursements for nutritious meals and snacks to eligible children and adults.