My dh is an avid organic gardener (he would like to grow all our vegetable and fruit needs for the whole year), and has taken to involving the kids in as much of his gardening as he can.
What he does mainly is to have them observe him and then help out in whatever way they can or want to (this also fits in with our unschooling philosophy!). So, our 6 year old has been helping him catch bugs that invade our garden (a variety of beetles and grubs), plus weed. Our younger child, who has Pervasive Developmental Disorder and doesn't fully understand things, has learned to help spread mulch and straw, do some simple weeding, and clean up the veggies we harvest (all of which ds#1 also does).
Merely watching us (mainly dh) enjoy this hobby so much, and tasting the fresh produce that we all help to harvest from it, is enough to encourage them to help!
I get the the kids to make thier own garden, we go to the store pick out the seeds they like. Doesn't matter what as long as they like them.
I help them dig and sow but otherwise it is up to them to weed, water , pick. They love it
I've been doing this with dd since she's been 1 and up until Christmas I was watching another little boy her age, I did it with him to for the 3 years I had him.
They would imitate what they would see me do in my garden and do in thiers.
Even now while it's buried under snow dd keeps a check on her baby's breath to make sure it'll come back next year
It's a nice little responsibilty for them
Great ideas! Thank you both! I think I will have a seperate little area for the little ones, that would be nice for them and would keep them out of mine! LOL
As a new gardener with small children dont even think of a "full fledged garden" just yet. Start a small garden and let it grow in size with your children. Buy small peat pots at your local nursery/garden shop. Let the kids decide what they want to plant and place a few seeds in the pots with good soil. Do this about the middle of Feb. When spring comes transplant these window sill pots into containers for the deck or yard and let the kids be responsible for them. Cukes, peppers, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, peas, beans, squash, pumpkin all do well in appropriate sized containers. Or make just a small plot in your yard to begin with. Get a good all purpose gardening book and also call your local co-operative extension for free help and advice.
Good Luck...Magyan, Master Gardener, Chaut Co., Cornell Univ Co-operative Extension
As a senior citizen that still gardens, I suggest starting with green beans since they come up so fast.
I do all of my gardening near my house in mulch beds, no weeds. I raise enough produce for the two of us and furnish a lot to my neighbors.
Jennie Bell
Last year the kids planted, baby's breath, forget me nots,impatients, soap wart, morning glories and green peppers.
They picked them out at the garden center, if they were seeds they got to plant some of them I saved the rest for my garden.If they were seedlings I got them one package. So the garden wasn't very large and where they got to pick it out from the start I found they actually stuck to the gardening.
They were all easy care plants so the kids couldn't do too much damage to them. I think too where they're hardy plants and could withstand the torture they put them helped too. They could see results for all the work they did.
The thing I learned from it, doing this with a boy and a girl, a girl picks the flower alone, the boy will grab the whole plant and brings it to you
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Do or do not. There is no try
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I have a 4 yr. old that has been gardening with me since he was 1 1/2. He loves to get dirty! My best advice is, just do it! Do start small though, you don't want to be overwhelmed by the middle of summer. Give the kids their own gardening tools, this is important or you will never find yours when you need them. Having them grow their own garden is nice, but will not keep them out of yours, especially when you are in it. I've found with my son, he wants to be right next to me doing what I'm doing. So I have to show him what he can and cannot do in "Mama's Garden". He's so eager to please and participate, he usually follows the rules. For the times he just can't keep from picking the pretty flowers and things....Oh well! The flowers will grow back and he will never forget the experience.
Bernadette
I have an artcle on my site titled Children and Vegetable Gardening by Don Trotter who writes a column on organic gardening. It is a really good article for parents who are looking for ideas and some safety guidelines on gardening with the little ones.
As a senior citizen that still gardens, I suggest starting with green beans since they come up so fast. 
