Skip to main content

These 4 plants are great for kids with green thumbs

If your kids love to join you in the garden, why not offer them some plants of their own to take care of?
Kids with green thumbs will love the opportunity to care for and nourish a plant from seed to fully bloomed marvel. It teaches them the power of patience and gentle care, encouraging them to learn about scientific facts like photosynthesis and botanical growth stages.

If you’re looking for the perfect child-safe plants for your little gardener, keep reading!

Recommended Videos

Sunflowers

Sunflowers are some of the easiest plants to care for. You can easily purchase a package of sunflower seeds from your local department or hardware store and begin the process of growing your own sunflowers. What makes them so great for kids is that sunflowers grow rapidly and are durable and hardy when it comes to watering.

To grow sunflowers, you’ll need a small pot with ample drainage where you can begin planting the seeds. Once planted, place the pots on a windowsill that receives ample amounts of sunlight. It’s best to keep sunflowers indoors until they are about five inches tall to protect them from falling over in the wind or rain.

Teach your child to water the plants daily and monitor the color and shape of the leaves. If the leaves start to shrivel and become crisp, the plant will need more water. Alternatively, wilting and mushy stems may mean the plant is being overwatered.

Moving the plant outside once it’s large enough will greatly reduce the chance of overwatering, especially if you plant the sunflower directly in the ground and not in a pot.

young girl in vegetable garden
Rawpixel.com / Shutterstock

Beans

There is a reason it’s common for third graders nationwide to plant their own beanstalks in class. Beans are a hardy plant and grow quickly, which means that your child will experience plenty of excitement when taking care of their bean plant.

Pinto beans are some of the best for young gardeners to work with. Though there are several other bean varieties to choose from, and each brings a unique quality.

You’ll need a small cup or pot and some soil to hold the beans in place to plant beans. Plant two to three beans about an inch down in the cup and use a spray bottle to keep the soil moist. Use the spray bottle once or twice a day to ensure that the soil remains moist but not soaked.

Once the beans begin to sprout, you can switch over to watering them with a can or bottle. Be careful not to overwater them. A great way to avoid overwatering is to use a well-drained pot or poke holes in the bottom of the cup to allow excess water to flow out the bottom.

Beans can be planted and grown indoors at any time of the year and only require a moderate amount of sunlight to reach their full potential.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a great plant for gardeners who are a little older and want to take on a plant that requires more care and attention.

Tomatoes come in several varieties, and you can decide whether you want cherry tomatoes, vine tomatoes, bush tomatoes, or whatever you like! However, the best part about growing tomatoes is that the reward is not only a fully grown plant but a plant that produces tasty treats!

Plant tomato seeds in an egg carton to make transferring them easier later on. All you need is a bit of soil, an empty egg carton, and one seed per compartment. Use a spray bottle to keep the soil moist when you and your child are starting out. Tomato plants are best planted in early spring so that by the time summer arrives, they can be transferred to the garden where they can thrive under the summer weather conditions.

Once the tomato plants reach about six inches tall, it’s time to move them to the garden. Keep the plants at least six inches apart from one another so that they don’t become entangled or overcrowded.

Depending on the variety of tomato plant you’re working with, watering and sunlight needs may change, so it’s important to reference proper care techniques for your specific variety.

Tomato plants require additional pruning throughout the growing season, and once tomatoes begin growing, they’ll have to be picked so that they don’t become overripe!

boy planting flowers outside
YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV/Shutterstock

Strawberries

Similar to tomatoes, strawberries are another tasty treat that kids will love to watch grow! Growing strawberries from seeds can take a bit of time. They require several weeks for germination and are best planted indoors in seed starters or an egg carton in early spring.

However, you can also purchase small strawberry bushes from your local garden center to plant directly into your garden.

If you start with a seed, the early stages are very similar to tomato plants, except the process takes a bit longer. If you begin with an already established plant, you can place it directly in the garden. Once in the garden, provide ample amounts of water and lots of sunlight. Clear away weeds and dead leaves as the plant matures. Once the berries begin forming, keep an eye out for pests, and be prepared to pick the delicious red berries once they’re ripe!

These plants are some of the best starter plants for kids, thanks to their hardiness and tasty rewards! They are non-toxic houseplants for children to care for and are great for growing indoors. Gardening teaches children about patience and TLC and provides room to examine the world with a more scientific and intriguing perspective.

Amelia Wilson
Amelia Wilson (author pen name Amelia J. Wilson) is a content writer in Greenwood, IN. She often enjoys topics on…
The best tall indoor plants to liven up your living room
Give your living room some natural vibes with a tall indoor plant
Living room with plants

When your living room needs some lively changes, tall indoor plants certainly do the trick. Tall indoor plants can act as both stylish decor for your living room and your personal connection to nature from within your home, which can boost your mood and health.

Still, the living room is your place to sit back and relax, and the vibe of the space should be conducive to that. If the design of this space is feeling dull, living room plants are a simple and effective solution to bring calming life back into the room. Here are five tall indoor plants that can enhance the energy of any living room.

Read more
The best hanging indoor plants for your living room to give you a relaxing vibe
Your living room deserves nice hanging indoor plants to fill empty space
Hanging indoor plant

Plants have become one of the most in-style items you can place in your home, and the trend doesn’t seem to be slowing anytime soon. To change it up a bit, why not add some hanging indoor plants to your space?

Hanging indoor plants reach eye level so they’re easier to spot than standing plants, and they can also cover up high corners of the room that are otherwise more difficult to decorate. In a living room especially, hanging plants offer a relaxing, inviting vibe. Here are some of the best hanging indoor plants for your living room.

Read more
These are the best plants to put in your shower for a nature-inspired sanctuary
Adding a plant to your shower benefits both you and the plant
Bathroom with orange walls

Bathroom plants are a rising trend, and for good reason. Who wouldn't want to add a touch of refined nature or create a cozy farmhouse feel in their bathroom? Placing a plant in the shower, however, might seem a bit odd. The truth is, there are many benefits to having a plant in your shower, both for you and for the plant itself. We're going to discuss some of these benefits, and we're going to give you some ideas for the best plants to put in your shower. Once you've added a touch of nature to your shower, you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner.

Why put plants in your shower?
Above and beyond adding a bit of color to your dim shower, there are some health and environmental benefits to keeping plants in your shower.
Less unwanted moisture
It's no secret that bathrooms tend to be hot spots for humidity. Excessive amounts of moisture, however, can have some adverse effects. Mold can grow around your bathroom, the paint on the walls can peel, and certain nasty bugs are attracted to moist places. A shower plant can help reduce unwanted moisture in your bathroom and minimize some of these issues. Since plants need water, they suck it right out of the air, providing the added benefit of not having to water the plant as often.
Cleaner air
You probably know that plants pull carbon dioxide out of the air and emit oxygen, right? But did you know that while this process is taking place, the plant is also filtering the air and pulling toxins out of it? With all of the cleaning products, hair products, and other nasty molecules that leave toxins in your bathroom's air, having a shower plant will allow you to breathe a bit easier and healthier.
Mental health benefits
Having indoor plants comes with numerous health benefits, but the most significant are the benefits to your mental health. We all know that plants are therapeutic, and studies have shown that plants help with stress relief, energy boosts, and even increased concentration and productivity. Why not reap all these mental health benefits right at the start of your day while you shower in the morning?
Elevated decor
Let's face it, indoor plants are beautiful, and they add so much charm and character to any room. Why not apply that same philosophy to your bathroom and shower? Having a plant in your shower is not only trendy and aesthetically pleasing, but it will leave you feeling like you're showering in the tropics.
The plants love it
Putting a plant in the shower not only benefits you, but it also benefits the plant itself. Many plants thrive in humid environments, so you'll see them flourish in your bathroom. If you tend to forget to water your plants for long periods of time, having them in an already moist area will allow you to feel less guilty about neglecting them.

Read more