Teaching kids to grow herbs is a worthwhile and fun experience. Your children will learn the importance of being responsible and might also realize that gardening will be a lifelong hobby for them. If you do not have enough space to plant herbs outside, don’t worry because herbs can easily grow inside making it easy to have your family kitchen herb garden.

 

Teaching Kids to Grow Herbs

Sometimes guides involve too many steps, unnecessary information and even worse, insufficient needed information. I’ll try my best to give you brief but definite tips and ideas in teaching kids to grow herbs. To start things off, you need to always remember that kids need to have fun when growing herbs.

 

Why is Teaching Kids to Grow Herbs Important?

Giving your kids some form of activity that involves responsibility can greatly boost their character and sense of self. Growing herbs basically means tending to a life. There are other advantages and I’ll be going through the ones that I think are the most important.

 

1. Helps them learn how to take care of something

Gardening is an amazing way for your children to learn how to take care of something. Making it also a great stepping stone for them before adopting their first pet.

2. Teaches Them the Importance of Paying Attention

Even the easiest plants to grow need a bit of attention. Gardening will teach your kids how to pay attention, by paying attention to the needs of the plants like water, and the appropriate amount of sunlight.

3. Gives Them a Sense of Purpose

Learning to care for something and be responsible for it gives your children a sense of purpose and pride. To make them more eager to start gardening, provide an incentive for them. My suggestion would be a toy they badly want if they can maintain life for at least a month.

4. Helps Them Discover New Hobbies

Initially, your child might not show interest in gardening. However, if you take the time to be there for them, they might later on end up loving gardening. Since gardening herbs and cooking are intimately connected, teaching your child how to cook later on is another hobby they might enjoy.

5. Teach them to be Responsible

Caring for another living being has a great deal of responsibility attached to it. Your kids will learn how to wake up early when their plants need watering, learn how to check the moisture level of the soil, and others of the like.

6. Helps them Gain Confidence

Seeing their plants sprouting will not only give them a significant boost in fulfillment and satisfaction but also their self-confidence. Reassurance that they did something worthwhile is one of the best ways to build confidence. Of course, you need to keep in mind that even an additional pat in the back will bring wonders to their character as a person.

 

How to teach Kids to Grow Herbs:

Teaching kids to grow herbs is a great step toward teaching them how to become better individuals. Herbs are easy to plant and maintain, making them a great way to help them learn important life lessons while still having fun.

 

1. Preach what you teach

Before you can teach your children how to grow herbs, you must know how to grow herbs yourself. You cannot teach something which you don’t know. That is why before trying to teach your

2. Watch Tutorials Together

Personally, whenever I want to learn something new, I watch video tutorials to help me learn easier. Watching video tutorials with your children is a fun and interactive way to learn before doing the actual gardening itself.

3. Experience is the Best Teacher

The best way to teach your children how to grow herbs is by doing actual gardening. In order not to waste resources, start with only a couple of seeds and the basic necessary materials.

4. Know your herb

Knowing the types of herbs available is necessary to ensure that you are planting the right type of herb Perennial herbs, are a type of herb that lasts for up to three years and you can enjoy them all through summer and dies come winter time. However, after winter, perennial herbs grow back again. Another type of herb is the annual herb which, unlike perennial herbs, dies annually which then requires replanting.

 

Methods to Grow Herbs:

There are several methods to grow herbs. I’ll divide them into the two methods of gardening in general, without delving into other complicated methods. These methods are the easiest to do, follow and maintain.

 

Outdoor Gardening

The first method of growing herbs is outdoor gardening. What you can do if you are just starting is to buy herbs in a pot and replant them with your kids. When replanting, ensure that each plant is at least a hand’s width apart to provide adequate room for each plant to grow. If you are just starting to build your herb garden with your kids, begin with planting perennial herbs first.

 

 

Indoor Gardening

The second method for growing your herbs is indoor gardening. Herbs can generally grow indoors provided it is given the right love and care it deserves. Mediterranean herbs require heat and relatively dry soil. If you are trying to grow this herb indoors, ensure that it is placed near sunlight, like on a windowsill.

One book I could recommend for really in-depth knowledge regarding herbs and everything related to it is this book entitled “ The Complete Book of Herbs: A Practical Guide to Growing and Using Herbs”

 

Best Herbs for Teaching Kids to Grow Herbs

Here are two herbs that I think would be the best ones to start with when teaching kids to grow herbs. These herbs are easy to grow, maintain and harvest. What’s more, they can even be planted indoors.

 

Basil

Prefers: Moist Soil

Sunlight: Prefers 6-8 hours of direct sunlight

If planted outdoors: Plant the seeds at most ¼ inch deep in the soil. Wait for seedlings to sprout and once there are at least 2 to 3 leaves, replant each seedling so that there is only one seedling per 12 inches.

If planted indoors: Ensure that the soil remains moist. Place it on a windowsill or a place where there is direct sunlight.

Caring for Basil: Ensure that the soil is moist, and once the plant has six leaves prune accordingly to promote growth.

 

Thyme

Prefers: Moist and Fertile soil (use fertilizer or compost)

Sunlight: Thymes are herbs that grow best in full sun.

If planted outdoors: You need to place them in pots since they can be a bit delicate. If this is not possible, then you just need to make sure that the place you plant them in has excellent drainage. The reason for this is because their roots rot easily.

Caring for Thyme: In general, you just have to be consistent in watering them. For best results, you can regularly add in compost or fertilizer to the soil. You might have problems regarding spider mites during dry weather but this can easily be solved with natural insecticides like vinegar.

 

Oregano

Prefers: Well-drained soil

Sunlight: Full sunlight

If planted outdoors: You need to understand that oregano herbs are seasonal. Like a lot of plants, they easily wilt when there are drastic temperature changes. It would be best to plant and grow them indoors. Though if you plant them outdoors, you just need to make sure that they are placed in a sunny but properly sheltered spot in the garden. You also need to make sure that the soil it’s planted on is well-drained.

Caring for Oregano: Oreganos love the sun but of course, too much will also cause it to wilt. In general, oregano can easily sprout from their seeds but you can also use cuttings to grow new ones. Lastly, they thrive in healthy and fertile soil so you need to mix a bit of compost every now and then for them to really thrive.

 

Conclusion

I hope reading this article helped you learn the basics of teaching kids to grow herbs. Always keep in mind that you do not need a large garden to be able to plant or grow your herbs. Because you can easily have your family kitchen garden indoors. All you need is the right patience and love so that your children will learn and your plants and herbs will flourish.