6 Easy Fruits for Kids to Grow

Growing fruit with kids is a great activity to get them outdoors and interested in gardening.

Kids can learn about responsibility as they tend to their fruit plants, and patience as they wait for the fruit to ripen.

In this article I’ve listed 6 easy fruits for kids to grow at home.

Some of these fruits are annuals, while others are perennials, so they’ll keep coming back year after year.

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kids growing fruit

1. Strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa)

One of the easiest fruits to grow in a kids garden is strawberries. 

Strawberries don’t require much space and they’ll happily grow in a container, hanging basket or small section in the garden.

Strawberries are ready to harvest about 12 to 18 weeks after planting and the plants produce runners, which can be planted to propagate new strawberry plants.

Choose an ‘ever-bearing’ variety like ‘Mara des Bois’ and ‘Flamenco’, that fruit throughout summer or try planting pineberries for something different. 

These interesting berries are white and taste like a mixture of pineapple and strawberry.

white strawberry plant

2. Watermelons (Citrullus lanatus)

Watermelon seeds are large and easy to handle, so they’re ideal for kids to plant.

It’s best to sow the seeds directly in the garden but in cooler climates you can plant them in pots and transplant the seedlings out to the garden once they’re a few inches (5 to 7 cm) tall.

Watermelons grow best in full sun, so choose a spot in the garden that receives at least 6 hours of sunlight each day.

Small watermelons can be grown vertically on a trellis or wire fence to save space in the garden. 

Sugar Baby is one of the most popular small watermelon varieties or try a yellow fleshed variety like Yellow Petite or Yellow Crunch.

watermelons

3. Cucamelons (Melothria scabra)

Cucamelons are tiny fruits about the size of a grape that are fairly easy for kids to grow.

Cucamelon seeds can be planted in pots and transplanted out to the garden once the risk of frost has passed or plant them directly in the garden if you live in a warm climate.

The fruits are ready to harvest 60 to 70 days after planting the seeds and they can be eaten straight from the garden as a snack, added to salads or pickled.

Cucamelons reseed easily so you may have them coming up in the garden every year.

child holding cucamelons

4. Raspberries (Rubus idaeus)

Raspberry bushes are easy to grow and they come back year after year, providing you with an abundance of fresh berries that kids will love.

They can be grown from bare-root canes in spring and they’ll need a trellis to grow up.

There are two different types of raspberries – summer fruiting and fall fruiting varieties. [1]

It’s a good idea to plant both types in your garden so your kids can enjoy delicious raspberries in summer and fall.

raspberry plant

5. Blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum)

Blueberry bushes grow well in most climates but they need protection from strong winds.

The vines will begin producing fruit two to three years after planting and the berries are ready to harvest when they’re a dark blue color.

Blueberries don’t continue to sweeten after they’re picked, so don’t pick them too early.

To extend the blueberry harvest season in your household, you can grow a mixture of blueberry varieties including early season, mid-season, and late-season varieties. 

blueberry bush

6. Kiwi Fruit (Actinidia deliciosa)

Kiwis are small oval shaped fruits with fuzzy brown skin and sweet green flesh that kids love.

They grow on long vines that can reach up to 20 feet (6 m) long, and they can be trained to grow up a trellis, arbor or wire fence.

To get fruit from a kiwi plant you need at least one male plant for every 8 female plants.

The male plant produces pollen which is transferred to the flowers on the female plants by pollinating insects. [2]

kiwi fruit vine

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So there are 6 fruits that are ideal for children to grow and care for.

Planting and harvesting fruit gives kids the opportunity to see how food is produced and gets them excited about trying new types of fruit.

kid picking strawberries

Have you tried growing fruit with your children? Which home grown fruit plants are favorites in your family? Let me know in the comments below.

Are you on Pinterest? I have boards dedicated to Growing Fruit and Gardening Tips that you may enjoy. You can also find me on Facebook.

Kelly Martin

Hi, I'm Kelly Martin, a landscape gardener and designer with over 10 years experience. I have a passion for small space gardening and I love designing and creating beautiful outdoor spaces that maximize the potential of small urban gardens. Read more