How to Design a Kids Herb Garden
Children learn a lot of things simply while they are playing. And there is no better way to make young children familiar with herbs and their healing properties than by providing them their own land (one small area in your backyard) for growing an herb garden. Famous herbalist/pharmacist, Linda Volin-Robbins, says that a garden can be a place of kids to crawl into and being friend with birds and butterflies while also keeping him or herself from the world of grownups. We all want be a kid again to escape from the hustle and bustle of the life. You can also be a friend to the chirping birds and enjoy the butterflies flying around you, just enlarge the garden land a little more and satisfy the bigger kid inside you.
Key Points:
- Kid’s herb gardens teach gardening skills and responsibility.
- Include sunflowers, vines, paths and culinary herbs safe for children.
- Basil, mint, chives and thyme are good starter herbs.
- Give them roles in planting, tending and harvesting herbs.
- It fosters food awareness and a lifelong love of nature.
Design Layout for a Kids Herb Garden
Take around 15 foot by 15 foot in the sunny area of your backyard. Full sun is essential if you are planning to grow sunflowers around the perimeter of the herb garden. Children will be delighted to watch the sunflower changing direction every hour to follow the sunlight; also a grown sunflower plant will provide shade within the circle. Along with the sunflower also plant a vine plant to create the tepee to cover the frame, green pea can be a good choice. Section off the entire area into ten segments in the middle of the circle, use this space to plant various herbs. Do not forget to leave a couple of sections bare or filled with mulch as crawl-ways to the center tipi.
Pay extra care as kids like to chew anything get to their hand, dirt included. Choose only those herbs that are good for children. For example, raspberries are wonderful herbs, but this prickly plant is not a good idea for a kid’s herb garden.
Herb Plant Suggestions for Kid’s Herb Garden
Here are a few kids friendly herb plant you can grow in kid’s herb garden.
Basil – Basil gives freshness to salads all summer. Make pesto on a Sunday, involving kids asking them to pick some fresh leaves of basil from their herb garden. Give everyone a turn at the food processor while you mulch basil harvest to be frozen for future uses.
Chive – A few kids like to munch chive. When chive blooms, its purple flower fascinates the kids. You can notice them waiting for the bloom.
Thyme – It’s an evergreen herb and spread the fragrance around early in the season. Let the kid make his or her own spice and herb rubs for fish and meats. They would love to take out ceramic mortar to grind some spices along with the thyme picked from their garden.
Mint – Mints are always suggested for kid’s garden as they are used making adorning desserts and refreshing summer drinks. Keep the mint plant contained as they tend to grow at the same place every year, similar to lemon balm.
Oregano – plant oregano for its lovely scent and flowers. Your kid might not like the bitterness of raw oregano. Fine chop a mix of thyme, basil and oregano to make trinity for flavor soups and stews that your kids love most.
Conclusion
A kid’s herb garden brings the joys of gardening to the next generation. Thoughtful design with sunflowers, vines, pathways and child-safe herbs creates an engaging space for play and learning. As young gardeners grow basil for pesto, mint for drinks, and chives for salads, they gain confidence and a sense of ownership. Nurturing herbs also teaches responsibility and caretaking. With involvement in planting and harvesting, kids begin to appreciate food origins. An herb garden crafted for children’s delight and edification cultivates a lifetime appreciation for nature, food and the land.
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