Children's Community Garden

Full disclosure: I am just beginning our journey into the world of (urban) homesteading, and I have much to learn. Thank you for taking the time to help!


We are building, year by year, a community garden in our very urban area. Children in nature and children learning self-sufficiency is a huge focus of this project, and as such we're trying to make it very accessible and kid-friendly. I am looking for recommendations for plants that can handle the abuse of inexperienced little hands. The neighborhood has children ages 2 - 6 years old right now, so any other gardening with children advice you can offer especially for the those age groups is very much appreciated, thank you!

Hi Kate, welcome to permies.

I would like to suggest using plants that are edible since sometimes kids love to taste things.  

From this link: http://www.metrokids.com/MetroKids/May-2011/Great-Plants-for-a-Child-039s-Garden/

These are edible:

 Nasturtium. Their flowers are edible and look great on salads.
Parsley or Dill. These herbs can be used for culinary purposes, and attract black swallowtail butterflies.
Peas. Pick the flowers for arrangements or eat the seed pods.

Rosemary would also be a good choice as it is edible and smells wonderful.

Here are some threads that might help:

https://permies.com/t/74894/Planning-colourful-living-playground-kids

https://permies.com/t/60598/Plants-kids-gardens-ideas