Spring gardening is coming along here in Boston. And with the opening leaf buds and unfurling daffodils has come the annual plea from my friends:

Ellen, have some time to stop by and check out my ___________ ? I just dont know what to do with it.

At this point in the season I’ll dedicate one day a week to traveling around to do some garden consulting.

Yesterday was my first garden consultation day of the season. Besides lawn questions (I always get lawn questions), it was great to see the increased interest in vegetable gardening. Go veggies! But it was even better to see my friends’ youngsters getting involved with the veggie garden, too.

Little six-year-old Ezra was eagerly pulling weeds and brush from the patch of ground that would soon be my friend Shosh’s new vegetable garden. He even carted loads of mulch to the area with his toy wheelbarrow.

Eleven-year-old Delaney came to her Aunt Kellie’s for the weekend to help create her new veggie garden, too. Aunt Kellie prepared Delaney for the event: She bought her niece a gardening kit complete with kid-sized gloves, clippers, a kneeling pad, and other right-sized garden tools.

Kids and gardening are a natural pairing, especially when veggies are involved. Here are a few things to keep in mind when gardening with children:

Give children their own gardening beds

A space of their own will give them a sense of ownership over the veggies they grow and even the work involved. Remember: Kids are small and have short attention spans, so give them a manageable project and a manageable space to garden in. You could even fit their veggie garden in a large whiskey barrel or window box.

Let kids plant veggies they want to grow

Even if they’ve never eaten an eggplant or radish, the act of raising it on their own will encourage them to try the fruits of their labors. At the same time, encourage them to grow vegetables that are very familiar to them, such as lettuce, peas, and carrots.

Get kids involved in the garden from beginning to end

Let them plant the seeds, water the garden, pull the weeds and harvest the veggies. And let them prepare the veggies for a meal, too! They’ll learn so much about gardening, nature, and themselves.

Give kids tools that fit them

But dont settle for cheap-o tools that will break with the first use. Quality is important, even for kids.

Don’t take over the child’s project

But don’t let project be a disappointment either. A garden fairy may fly by now and then to tidy up the childs garden. Like with a childs first pet, lay down the foundations of care for the garden, but dont let the garden starve. A little help now and then will help the child succeed, and even get them excited to do it again.

Don’t let it become work!

Once the child’s veggie garden becomes a chore, thats the end of it. Gardening is fun, so keep it fun for junior.