One Way To Turn Kids Into Gardeners

On sale right now at Pottery Barn Kids, this planter is perfect for wee gardeners or patio gardens.

SUPER VALUE | If you want your kids to fall in love with gardening, it’s a good idea to get them digging early. To very young children, popping their first seeds in soil, watching them come up and then harvesting the fruits of their labour is powerful magic.

When I was in Pottery Barn Kids a few weeks ago, I spotted the rectangular galvanized planter shown in the photo above (on the left) and thought finally a decent-size soil receptacle raised to just the right height so little people can easily tend and keep an eye on seeds they’ve sowed (it’s also the perfect size for adults wanting to grow herbs or a small crop of salad vegetables).

Made of metal and moisture-resistant eucalyptus wood, the Chesapeake Garden planter box has been designed to also work as a sandbox or water-play table (see photo above). Yesterday, we could find only two Chesapeake planters remaining for sale in Canada (call 1-877-770-7231 for the location), but we did find them on sale online in the U.S. for the ridiculous price of just $99 (CLICK HERE to order), though you would need to have your purchase shipped to a U.S. address (CLICK HERE for our story about shipping U.S. goods to the border). —Ruth Rainey