If you have a spot in your garden to build a raised bed, great, you are a bit better off than most. Build a simple raised bed using 12 inch wide wooden boards cut to the length you need, and screw them together with some galvanized screws. It does not have to get any more complicated than that. Take old newspapers and line the bottom of the raised bed. This is an environmentally friendly way to kill the weeds and grass. On top of the newspaper, dump a load of dirt. Get a combination of soil that has good drainage and a healthy dose of organic compost. Fill the raised bed to the top and then water down the dirt. Add more dirt if needed after you water it down, usually it settles a bit and you need to add more dirt. Water it down again and repeat as necessary until the dirt is about 1 inch form the top of the wood.

Now divide your raised be into sections: Lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, etc. You can really cram them in because you have a contained garden area with plenty of good dirt and water.

• Plant a tomato plant of two and a pepper plant side by side with a tomato cage or stake around each one.
• Create a lean-to for the cucumbers to climb up. Scatter lettuce seeds under the lean-to and the cucumber seeds at the end of the lean to.
• Plant the carrot seeds in front (and back) of the tomato plants and onion starts or seeds in between the tomato and pepper plants.
• Take a soaker hose and snake it around the plants so you can water them easily or a mini sprinkler will work well too. My husband likes to hand water our vegetable garden, I think it is a pain in the “you know what” to do that every day so I am lobbying for a sprinkler system of sorts.

This sounds all too hard? Check out this site. It is one of my favorite gardening supply catalogs. They have taken all the guess work out of planning your vegetable garden with their free, easy planning tool. Once you plan it you can purchase it in a kit that comes with instructions.

If you don’t have a piece or yard you can spare or you live in an apartment, do not despair, there are a ton of options like a pot or two. Fill a large pot with some good potting soil that has plenty of moisture control and organic compost in it. Water it down and refill like explained above.  Plant a tomato seedling in the middle with a tomato cage or stake around it. Sprinkle lettuce seeds on one side of the pot and put a cucumber seed or seedling on the other side along with a pepper plant. If you have room for more than one pot consider one pot just for lettuces and another for the tomato and pepper plants. You can plant cucumber near any fence or trellis even in the flower garden. There are many varieties of vegetables that have been bred to do well in pots including eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, etc.
 

Try one of the new upside down tomato growing things. I have not myself, but have heard great things about them. You can also grow other vegetables in them as well as tomatoes.


Only have counter top space? Have you seen these hydroponic growing systems? They look so cool.




The fact of the matter is, it is super simple to grow your own vegetables with your kids. Make it a summer vacation project. Try new recipes, eat them raw, grill them with your dinner, and make a salad. It is all good and good for you. Have fun!