Grocery prices keep climbing, and a backyard vegetable patch is one of the easiest ways to claw some of that back while giving the kids a hands-on project that gets them off screens. You don’t need acres of space either. A raised garden bed, a few pots on a balcony, or even a sunny windowsill is enough to get started.
The Hunter’s warm temperate climate is genuinely one of the easier places in Australia to grow food. Most of these vegetables handle our mild winters and hot summers well, and several can go in the ground almost any time of year. Here are 10 of the easiest and most rewarding vegetables to grow as a family, plus which ones are best suited to little hands.
Lettuce
Lettuce is the fastest win for keeping kids interested, since you can start harvesting outer leaves within a few weeks and the plant keeps producing. Butter, oakleaf and rocket varieties are the most forgiving for beginners. In Newcastle, autumn and spring are the easiest planting windows, since lettuce tends to bolt (go to seed) quickly in the height of summer. A pot on a shaded patio works just as well as a garden bed.
Good for kids: picking leaves is an easy, low-risk job for toddlers and preschoolers.
Tomatoes
Home-grown tomatoes taste worlds apart from anything in a supermarket punnet, and kids are usually far more willing to eat something they’ve grown themselves. Cherry tomatoes are the best starting point for families, since they’re quick to fruit and easy for small hands to pick without squashing. Plant after the last frost, generally from September through to early summer in our region, and give them a sunny, sheltered spot.
Good for kids: cherry varieties are perfect for snack-sized harvesting.
Herbs
If you cook a lot at home, herbs are the quickest way to save money and always have fresh flavour on hand. Basil, mint, rosemary and thyme are all reliable for beginners, and coriander and lemongrass are worth adding if you cook a lot of Asian food. Herbs are ideal for families short on space, since most do well in pots on a sunny windowsill or balcony.
Good for kids: the smell and texture of herbs like mint and basil make this a great sensory activity for younger children.
Carrots
Carrots grow from seed rather than seedlings, which makes them a satisfying “watch it grow” project for kids, since they get to see the whole process from sowing to harvest. They’re usually ready around eight weeks after planting. Loose, sandy soil gives the best results, so if your yard has heavy clay (common in parts of the Hunter), a raised bed filled with good quality soil will save a lot of frustration.
Good for kids: pulling up a carrot is one of the most exciting harvest moments for young children.
Squash and pumpkin
Squash is a rewarding one to grow because a single plant can produce a lot of food, and there are enough varieties to suit roasting, baking or salads. These need more space than the other vegetables on this list, so they’re better suited to a larger yard than a balcony. Plant in spring once the soil has warmed up.
Silverbeet
Silverbeet is one of the most low-maintenance vegetables you can grow and keeps producing for months once established. It’s not the most exciting vegetable for kids to harvest, but it’s a reliable performer for busy families who want food without much fuss, and it tolerates our humid summers better than many leafy greens.
Snow peas
Peas are a genuine favourite for family gardens because kids love snacking on them straight off the vine, and the plant needs a trellis or stakes to climb, which makes for an easy weekend project to build together. Plant in autumn or late winter for a spring harvest, since peas don’t love the summer heat.
Good for kids: most children will happily eat snow peas raw off the plant, which is a good way to build interest in vegetables generally.
Green beans
Beans are one of the most productive vegetables for the effort involved, and a small row can keep a family in fresh beans for weeks. They’re easy to grow from seed and don’t need much attention beyond regular watering. Plant once the weather has warmed up in spring.
Eggplant
Eggplant takes longer to mature than most vegetables on this list, but it rewards the wait, particularly if your family enjoys Mediterranean cooking like baba ghanoush or moussaka. It needs a full sun position and a long, warm growing season, so spring planting works best in the Hunter.
Spring onions
Spring onions are one of the cheapest vegetables to grow and one of the most expensive to keep buying fresh from the supermarket. They’re low-maintenance, can be planted almost year-round in our climate, and regrow from the base if you leave a little of the root in the soil.
If you need tips on getting started on growing vegetables, check out these articles by Royal Botanic Garden Sydney or ABC Everyday. They give valuable advice on how to start and maintain a vegetable patch.
Want more tips on saving money? Check out our article How to Easily Save Money – 101 Tips to Save on Family Expenses.