Having easy access to a tasty crop of veggies growing just outside your door is an excellent way to encourage all members of the family to eat more fresh produce. Including children in all aspects of the process, from selecting the plants as transplants or seed packets to tending to the vegetables, also can help them become more enthusiastic about trying new foods.
Growing less familiar vegetables, like beets and turnips, alongside more common favorites from the grocery store like cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and summer squash, is a great approach to creating your new garden.
Keep in mind that even if you have a small space to allocate to your garden, many families can fit a few garden beds for growing vegetables and fruits like tomato plants, pumpkins, zucchini and melons. You can complement the space with container gardens for herbs like chives and parsley, or even flowers.
