Do something different in the garden this year. Create a Container Pizza Garden. This easy project takes up a small amount of space, is a great way to get little ones involved with their food, and gives the whole family the ingredients needed for GREAT pizzas.
Container Gardening with Kids
As a mom, I am always looking for new ways to get my kids to eat healthier. This garden is a good project to get my kids involved with their food. It allows them to get dirty (a BIG PLUS if you asked them), teaches them how food is grown, and encourages them to try new foods.
I’m going to share with you how to make this fun container garden. That way you can pick up everything you need to make this garden at home.
Pizza Garden Kit
This container pizza garden includes:
- 24” diameter container, pot, or Whiskey barrel
- Quality potting soil
- 1 Tomato (look for variety ideal for containers)
- 1 Eggplant
- 1 Bell Pepper
- 1 Oregano
- 1 Thyme
- 1 Parsley
- Basil (if you don’t have it going anywhere else)
These plants give you the ingredients to make a traditional pizza sauce, herbs and tomatoes for a simple flatbread, a Gluten Free Eggplant pizza, and more.
Try our homemade pizza crust recipe. It’s a staple in our house for every Pizza Night.
A successful container garden starts with soil
For any container garden, start with a quality potting soil. You want one that retains moisture, provides vital nutrients to your plants, and is free of synthetic chemicals.
Most home and garden stores carry a variety of organic and sustainable lawn/garden products: compost, potting soil, garden soil, compost accelerator, vegetable plant food, and more. I opt for one or more of these.
What You’ll Need for this Pizza Garden:
- Select a large 24” container for this garden. I selected a whiskey barrel because I like the look of them. You can choose a style you like.
- Quality Potting Soil
- Include 3 vegetables and 3-4 herbs:
- Tomato
- Eggplant
- Bell Pepper
- Oregano
- Thyme
- Parsley
- Basil, if desired
For the tomatoes, bell peppers, and eggplant look for varieties that are good for containers.
- Roma tomatoes are a good choice for making tomato sauce.
- Cherry tomatoes are our pick because they are wonderful cut in half and cooked on top of flatbread.
- We opted for an Ichiban eggplant which produces a sweet, mild eggplant. These are long and slender which make them nice on pizzas or as a Gluten Free substitute for the bread itself.
- Bell peppers come in several colors; green, red, yellow, orange, black. Let the kids pick their favorite. My youngest doesn’t like bell peppers, but his favorite color is orange. We chose an orange bell pepper to encourage him to eat bell peppers more often. This little trick works. If you have a picky eater, try it out for yourself.
Parsley, oregano, and thyme are herbs that come back every year. You can also add basil to your pizza garden. (Note: I didn’t add it because I have it growing in another part of my garden.) You can use these herbs fresh from the garden or dry them to use after the growing season is over.
How to Create your Container Pizza Garden
- Drill drainage holes into the bottom of the container. Cover with coffee filter, small mesh screen, or landscape fabric.
- Fill a large barrel or container with potting mix to 2 inches from the top of the pot.
- Add your plants (Note: loosen roots after removed plants from containers before placing them into the potting mix)
- Top with more potting soil ensuring that all the roots are covered.
- Add 1 tablespoon plant food around each plant.
- Water throughly
Tips for Container Gardening with Kids:
- Let the kids get dirty. It’s part of the fun and dirt washes off!
- Allow children to help make decisions on give them a sense of ownership.
- Make it fun!
- When growing vegetables or herbs in containers, replace potting mix every growing season. However, if you are growing houseplants or flowers and want to save as much potting mix as possible, replace 1/3 of the old potting mix with new mix between growing seasons.
Alison Watson says
May 20, 2016 at 8:17 amLooks great! I can’t wait to incorporate a “pizza garden” in my garden this year!
Nicky says
May 20, 2016 at 8:58 amThanks Alison. My kids love love that it’s “their” garden. I just can’t wait to start using the herbs and tomatoes. I’ll be sharing more pictures as my pizza garden grows on Instagram (http://instagram.com/lilfamadventure) with the hashtag #containerpizzagarden. I’d love to see your pizza garden too. Tag me when you get it in.
Mischelle Sandowich says
May 20, 2016 at 10:22 amWhat a fun way to teach kids healthy living.
Nicky says
May 25, 2016 at 11:33 amIt’s a fun project too, which is a big plus.
kc the says
May 20, 2016 at 3:09 pmWith our water shortage here in SoCal, this may be the only chance at growing my own.
Nicky says
May 25, 2016 at 11:34 amIt gets really hot here in Oklahoma. Look for the EcoScraps potting soil I used. I really liked that it retained moisture. I thought it was better than some other brands.
Olivia says
March 9, 2017 at 6:52 amAll things coedsiernd, this is a first class post
Joy @ Joy Love Food says
May 20, 2016 at 8:24 pmI love container gardening, what a great idea to make a pizza focused one, my kids would love it!
Nicky says
May 25, 2016 at 11:35 amIt is something fun and a good project for kids to get started with.
Angela @marathonsandmotivation.com says
May 20, 2016 at 8:34 pmLove this idea! We do grow fresh herbs, but how fun for the kids to have their own “Pizza Garden”. Pinned 🙂
Nicky says
May 25, 2016 at 11:36 amThanks for pinning Angela. We do the square foot garden method. So it was easy to convert a container into something more than just a flower garden. I’m all for edible landscaping.
Delphia says
March 9, 2017 at 5:55 amShoot, so that’s that one supeosps.
Julie Wood says
May 21, 2016 at 9:42 amI love your container Pizza garden idea! We are growing tomatoes, green peppers, green beans, peas, carrots and strawberries!
Nicky says
May 25, 2016 at 11:37 amThat is a great variety in your garden. I would love to grow strawberries. But the birds have always had a feast on the ones I’ve tried to grow.
Mami2jcn says
May 21, 2016 at 9:43 amI would like to grow cucumbers.
Nicky says
May 25, 2016 at 11:37 amFresh cucumbers are the best!
Betsy Barnes says
May 21, 2016 at 9:48 amI would love to grow tomatoes, cucumbers and blueberries 🙂
Nicky says
May 25, 2016 at 11:38 amThree great things to grow. We just planted a blueberry and 2 blackberries
Kelly says
May 21, 2016 at 3:47 pmWhat a fun idea!! My kids will love this. We enjoy growing herbs, so this will give them a little ownership and their own to take care of.
Nicky says
May 25, 2016 at 11:39 amI’ve found that when the kids grow things themselves, they are more likely to eat what they grow. That’s why we added the eggplant to this one.
shelly peterson says
May 22, 2016 at 1:22 amI want to grow some tomatoes and cucumbers.
Nicky says
May 25, 2016 at 11:40 amThose both grow great in containers.
Anne Murphy says
May 22, 2016 at 3:38 pmWhat a great way to get kids invested! And then, oh, my look at that, Pizza Garden produce in a salad… 😉 Funny, that, the way one thing can lead to another…
Nicky says
May 25, 2016 at 11:40 amMy thoughts exactly! It starts off small and then explodes into so much more.
Natalie says
May 22, 2016 at 5:09 pmI would like to grow tomatoes, cucumber and carrots.
Nicky says
May 25, 2016 at 11:41 amAll 3 grow great in containers. My kids like to plant carrots in the fall.
Janice Cooper says
May 22, 2016 at 8:24 pmI would love to grow cucumbers, tomatoes and strawberries
Nicky says
May 25, 2016 at 11:41 amThere’s nothing better than fresh strawberries.
Gertrude says
March 9, 2017 at 7:12 ammultumesc de vizita, Corina! si pentru incurajari. Ti-am acceptat toate comentariile, nu apareau pentru ca asteptau sa fie moieeatr!feldcitari pentru curajul tau si pentru rabdarea cu aparatul.Eu am 27 de ani! 😀 si sper ca la 30 sa am dintii asa cum mi-i doresc.
Katerina says
May 23, 2016 at 6:01 amThis is such a lovely idea and you get to make children realize what they are eating!
Nicky says
May 25, 2016 at 11:42 amIf I make it fun, they are more likely to get involved and want to participate. Developing healthy eating habits is an added bonus.
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Michelle Marine says
May 23, 2016 at 7:52 amThis is so cute! I love your pizza garden idea, Nicky, and EcoScraps looks like a fabulous company.
Nicky says
May 25, 2016 at 11:43 amI’m really liking the ecpScraps products. The potting mix holds moisture really well. The weather has been hot the past few days and the soil is still damp.
David says
May 23, 2016 at 2:50 pmWe always grow the basics, like tomatoes, corn, etc, but this year we are going to try melons.
Nicky says
May 25, 2016 at 11:43 amMelons are about as easy as tomatoes. I like to train mine to grow up a trellis to save space.
Tracie Cooper says
May 24, 2016 at 6:40 pmI would love to plant tomatoes, green and red pepper and watermelons! My email is [email protected]
Kelly D says
May 24, 2016 at 8:26 pmI would like to grow tomatoes, zucchini and eggplant.
Lisa Brown says
May 25, 2016 at 7:29 amI am growing tomatoes and zucchini this year in my garden.
Elena says
May 25, 2016 at 9:44 amI am growing tomatoes, herbs and avocados
Rust says
May 25, 2016 at 10:53 amTomatoes are my number one choice for growing in the garden, then potatoes and carrots.
HS kraftmaking says
May 25, 2016 at 11:49 amWe would like to grow zucchini and butternut squash.
Laurajj says
May 25, 2016 at 8:24 pmOh we love to container garden! Right now I planted wax beans, green beans, peas, and lots of milkweed for the Monarchs! I would love to add some peppers and cucumbers to it!
Nicky says
May 28, 2016 at 9:39 amA butterfly garden would make a great container garden. I haven’t grown wax beans before are they similar to growing peas or green beans?
Sarah Oswald says
May 26, 2016 at 3:20 amI would love to do lettuce tomatoes and cucumbers in the garden this year.
Nicky says
May 28, 2016 at 9:42 amThose would make a wonderful garden. There is nothing quite like fresh veggies.
Jeffrey says
May 26, 2016 at 5:30 amWe actually just put our garden in a couple of days ago. I always plant lots of tomatoes, we can them for use in the winter months. This year we also planted eggplant, zucchini, sweet corn and a variety of peppers. Pizza is my favorite food to make and eat! I almost always have dough in the refrigerator.
Nicky says
May 28, 2016 at 9:45 amI plant a lot of tomatoes too Jeffrey. I eat a LOT of salsa and like to make my own. So we’ll can/preserve. Last year, I also started to dehydrate tomatoes for tomato sauce. It works great and saves so much space. With homemade dough always in the fridge, it sounds like your house is the place to be. 🙂
Janet W. says
May 26, 2016 at 2:48 pmI would love to grow our own tomatoes this year!!
Nicky says
May 28, 2016 at 9:45 amYou can do it Janet. They don’t take up much space and a fresh tomato is AMAZING!
cyndi br says
May 27, 2016 at 4:34 pmI would like to grow cilantro and zucchini
Cassandra Eastman says
May 27, 2016 at 10:49 pmMy grandma just moved from Oklahoma to where we live (Missouri) about 2 weeks ago! Love these gardening tips. I’d like to grow tomatoes, and bell peppers.
Nicky says
May 28, 2016 at 10:04 amSuch a small world Cassandra! I’m sure you’re thrilled to have your grandmother closer to you.
Danielle says
May 28, 2016 at 10:35 amWhat a great and fun idea for kids! I would love to grow basil, tomatoes, cucumbers, and some fresh garlic.
Jill Hanson says
May 28, 2016 at 10:59 amWe planted two types of tomatoes in pots, will probably be planting some herbs. Hopefully next year we will have some raised beds, due to physical issues regular gardening has become difficult. Love this pizza garden idea.
The Char says
May 28, 2016 at 11:31 amI want to grow some potatoes!
Marnie says
March 9, 2017 at 6:43 amThat’s a wise answer to a tricky quoitsen
Debbie Yoder says
May 28, 2016 at 1:32 pmWe like to plant tomatoes, radishes, carrots and green beans!
Kim Henrichs says
May 28, 2016 at 2:19 pmI’m doing mostly herbs but a few patio tomatoes and lots of basil!
Debbie F says
May 28, 2016 at 3:40 pmI’ve never grown anything. 🙁
I don’t know how.
But even if I did, the amount of veggies and fruit I eat, I’d have to have a football field sized yard to grow enough. 🙂
amy stonger says
May 28, 2016 at 5:51 pmI want to grow tomatoes, watermelon, and some peppers.
Maryann Royster says
May 28, 2016 at 6:47 pmEverythings planted!!! I’m growing onions, potatoes,garlic, snow peas, spinach, letuce, cucumbers, radish, beets, carrots,8 kinds of tomaotes, bell peppers, 6 kinds of hot peppers, dill, basil, eggplant, broccoli, strawberries, black berries, rasberries, blue berries, string beans (pole and bush), pumpkins and apples.
Angela Kinder says
May 29, 2016 at 8:49 amI really can’t keep anything alive, but I would love to grow hot peppers this year. I put hot peppers (especially crushed red pepper flakes) in almost everything, so I’d like to be able to make my own stash instead of running to the store every time I run out.
Tammy Woodall says
May 29, 2016 at 3:59 pmI want to plant Tomatoes and Cucumbers this year.
DJ says
May 30, 2016 at 11:39 amI am planning to grow lots of tomatoes and bell peppers this year.
Rosie says
May 30, 2016 at 2:02 pmI love making pizza from scratch, so this caught my eye – what a great idea! I’m hoping to have a rose bush this year.
Bridgett Wilbur says
May 31, 2016 at 12:04 pmWe are going to plant tomatoes and cucumbers this year.
Evie B. says
May 31, 2016 at 12:48 pmI would like to grow tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and basil.
Kayleen says
March 9, 2017 at 6:08 amAt last some raaolntiity in our little debate.
Maria Beas says
May 31, 2016 at 1:56 pmI would like to grow some tomatoes, cucumbers and onions. Thanks for the chance to win such an amazing giveaway.
Amanda Sakovitz says
May 31, 2016 at 5:41 pmId love to grow tomatoes.
Terri Irvin says
May 31, 2016 at 7:49 pmI love to grow basil, dill and tomatoes in pots.
Jeanne Rousseau says
June 1, 2016 at 9:37 pmThanks for the email that I was a winner. I responded to the email you sent earlier, hope you received it =)
Nicky says
June 4, 2016 at 7:14 amCongratulations again Jeanne!
Mildred Anderson says
March 3, 2017 at 4:37 pmVery good experience! I will follow you in future. I have a small garden but have not enough knowledge about garden. Your article is so much helpful. I could learn a lot.
Thanks for sharing with us. Please keep up it in future.