Last spring we did this on a whim. Filled a 4x8 bed with soil, let him pick vegetables. He chose tomatoes, lettuce, and carrots bc they're apparently the only foods he'll eat 🙄
Fast forward to June - we actually got a harvest. He ate a tomato he grew. HIMSELF. That's a win in my book. Doing it again this year, bigger bed.
Did you have to do much maintenance through the season or was it pretty hands-off once it got going? My concern with garden projects is they turn into MY project by July.
The 4x8 bed is the perfect size for this age range honestly. How much did the whole setup cost you? Considering doing something similar but don't want to go overboard if it's gonna be a one-year thing.
Plot twist: he eats a tomato he grew. Next month he's back to chicken nuggets exclusively and won't touch garden food. Kids are chaotic.
This actually makes sense though - kids want autonomy. He didn't eat it because you made him eat vegetables, he ate it because HE decided to grow it and harvest it. That's the win, not the nutrition.
We tried this and my 7yo was so proud but then refused to eat anything from the garden because "it has dirt on it" even after we washed it lol. You won the lottery here.
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This is huge though. Getting a kid to actually EAT something he grew is like... that's parenting gold. The whole "he only eats 3 things" changes when it's HIS tomato. Did he want to grow more stuff this year?