Grow a Kitchen Garden With Your Children

Grow a Kitchen Garden With Your Children

Vegetable scraps that would normally go in the bin can become a proper family project. With a few kitchen basics and a sunny windowsill, children can watch roots, shoots and whole new plants appear over the coming weeks.

Rescue scraps before they hit the bin

Before tipping vegetable peelings into an organic waste bin, set aside anything with a stump or stalk still attached, such as carrot tops, beetroot, onion ends, lettuce hearts or cabbage cores. Coffee grounds are worth keeping too, as they make a handy feed for growing plants later on. A HÅLLBAR bin with lid for organic waste keeps everything tidy in a small Maltese kitchen while you decide what gets composted and what gets a second life as a planting experiment.

Rescue scraps before they hit the bin
HÅLLBAR bin with lid, light grey, 10 lHÅLLBAR bin with lid, light grey, 10 lHÅLLBAR bin with lid, light grey, 22 lHÅLLBAR bin with lid, light grey, 22 lHÅLLBAR pull-out frame for waste sorting, light grey, 26.5x31.5x45 cmHÅLLBAR pull-out frame for waste sorting, light grey, 26.5x31.5x45 cmHÅLLBAR bin with lid for organic waste, light grey, 10 lHÅLLBAR bin with lid for organic waste, light grey, 10 lHÅLLBAR bin with lid, light grey, 3 lHÅLLBAR bin with lid, light grey, 3 lHÅLLBAR bin with lid, light grey, 35 lHÅLLBAR bin with lid, light grey, 35 l

Shop IKEA Hållbar

Get the cuttings ready for planting

Most vegetables will sprout fresh growth if even a small piece of stem is left intact. Let children make clean cuts with a safer, child friendly knife, then press the pieces into moist soil to see which ones take root. A VARDAGEN muffin tin works well here, giving each cutting its own little compartment so nobody's experiment gets mixed up with anyone else's, which matters when several children want to claim their own plant.

Get the cuttings ready for planting
VARDAGEN jar with lid, clear glass, 1.9 lVARDAGEN jar with lid, clear glass, 1.9 lVARDAGEN glass, clear glass, 31 cl, 6 packVARDAGEN glass, clear glass, 31 cl, 6 packVARDAGEN glass, clear glass, 43 cl, 6 packVARDAGEN glass, clear glass, 43 cl, 6 packVARDAGEN measuring jug, glass, 0.5 lVARDAGEN measuring jug, glass, 0.5 lVARDAGEN stand for jar with tap, dark grey, 20 cmVARDAGEN stand for jar with tap, dark grey, 20 cmVARDAGEN measuring cup, set of 5VARDAGEN measuring cup, set of 5

Shop IKEA Vardagen

Give small hands proper reach at the worktop

A kitchen worktop makes a good workspace once it is the right height, and in many Maltese homes that means giving children a boost. A step stool lets them stand comfortably to cut, plant and check on progress, and doubles as a seat for watching the slow magic of roots forming. It turns a few minutes of tidying scraps into an activity children actually want to stick around for, rather than one they are rushed through.

Give small hands proper reach at the worktop
BEKVÄM step stool, black, 63 cmBEKVÄM step stool, black, 63 cmBEKVÄM step stool, beech, 50 cmBEKVÄM step stool, beech, 50 cmBEKVÄM step stool, beech, 63 cmBEKVÄM step stool, beech, 63 cmBEKVÄM step stool, white, 50 cmBEKVÄM step stool, white, 50 cmTROGEN children's step stool, yellow, 40x38x33 cmTROGEN children's step stool, yellow, 40x38x33 cmHADDARP step stool, 4-way orange, 43.8x47x43.8 cmHADDARP step stool, 4-way orange, 43.8x47x43.8 cm

Shop IKEA Step Stools & Step Ladders

Compare growing in soil and in water

Trying a few methods side by side raises the odds of success and gives children something to compare. Leeks, spring onions and similar vegetables often root well simply left standing in water, while others prefer soil from the start. KORKEN jars are useful for the water method, letting everyone see the roots forming through the glass, while sweet peppers and tomatoes can go straight into soil since their seeds are already there waiting to be planted.

Compare growing in soil and in waterCompare growing in soil and in water
KORKEN jar with lid, clear glass, 1 lKORKEN jar with lid, clear glass, 1 lKORKEN jar with lid, clear glass, 0.5 lKORKEN jar with lid, clear glass, 0.5 lKORKEN jar with lid, clear glass, 1.8 lKORKEN jar with lid, clear glass, 1.8 lKORKEN jar with lid, clear glass, 2 lKORKEN jar with lid, clear glass, 2 lKORKEN jar with lid, clear glass, 13 cl, 3 packKORKEN jar with lid, clear glass, 13 cl, 3 packKORKEN bottle shaped jar with lid, clear glass, 1 lKORKEN bottle shaped jar with lid, clear glass, 1 l

Shop IKEA Korken

Bring the whole garden together on wheels

Once planting is done, a trolley makes a practical home for a growing collection of pots and jars, easy to wheel towards a sunny window or out onto a balcony during Malta's long growing season. A floor protector underneath catches drips and spills, saving the tiles beneath. Leave room on board for a spray bottle, leftover coffee grounds and a MÅLA whiteboard pen for marking height against a mini greenhouse pane as the plants shoot up.

Bring the whole garden together on wheels
MÅLA easel, softwood, 66x48 cmMÅLA easel, softwood, 66x48 cmMÅLA paper roll holder with storage, 50x13 cmMÅLA paper roll holder with storage, 50x13 cmMÅLA chalks, mixed colours, 9 packMÅLA chalks, mixed colours, 9 packMÅLA whiteboard pen, mixed colours, 4 packMÅLA whiteboard pen, mixed colours, 4 packMÅLA paint, mixed colours, 400 mlMÅLA paint, mixed colours, 400 mlMÅLA portable drawing case, red, 35x27 cmMÅLA portable drawing case, red, 35x27 cm

Shop IKEA Måla

A handful of simple pieces can turn kitchen scraps into a proper family project worth following for weeks. Everything mentioned here can be ordered through Maltashopper for homes across Malta and Gozo.

More children's room ideas

Back to blog