Nothing helps kids appreciate the earth like the magic of watching things grow. Fun hours spent experimenting with sun, soil and seeds – plus special memories of family-time in the garden – can lead to a lifelong love for all things green.

Whether indoors or out, a thriving kids' garden is easy to create. All that's needed are three simple elements: space to plant, space for gear and good advice about what to grow.

Some of the best gardening projects can take place indoors on a sunny kitchen windowsill. But if you have a little outdoor ground to spare, the best approach is to start small. Create a 3 x 5' planting area measured out into one-foot sections for each item that you're growing, or make it a round garden and split it into pie-shaped wedges.

Let your kids know that this is their growing space, and set up a visual boundary that reinforces this idea. Anything from a row of stones to a small wooden fence can help separate this area from the rest of the yard. Indoors, designate your gardening zone by lining up colorful pots in a row, or clustering them together in a flat rattan basket near a window.

What do kids love best about gardening? Getting dirty, of course. Create a kid-friendly work and storage station by choosing durable materials that are easy to clean. A rugged, kid-sized outdoor table can double as a picnic table one day and a potting bench the next. Place a weather-resistant wooden trunk like our Chesapeake Storage Bin nearby to keep trowels, hand forks and other tools corralled. Indoors, a kitchen countertop or utility sink works well for potting, and a canvas tote or handled bucket keeps tools organized and safely out of the way.

As every parent knows, part of what kids love about hands-on projects is getting to say, "I did it myself!" Let your children make the final decision about what to plant, but improve their chances of success by starting them off with some hardy selections to choose from.