It’s still not hard to entice the under-5 set to make mud pies, smell flowers and eat string beans off the vine, but as children get older and turn to screens, nature exploration often falls to the bottom of their boredom-buster lists.

With a little creativity, however, parents can nurture an interest in the great outdoors and inspire a lifelong love for gardening. The key is starting kids young—and giving them ownership.

Take children to the nursery and let each decide what they would like to grow. Vegetables should be ones they like to eat; they’ll take pride in a meal that includes ingredients they grew themselves. Growing edibles can also play a role in influencing a lifetime of healthy food choices.

Teach kids that gardens need to eat and drink like they do—and that gardens, too, get cranky when they’re hungry or parched. Show them the symptoms, then let them figure out when their plants need water or fertilizer.

Be available to offer advice, but don’t insist on perfection: Teach children not to step on plants, but let them get dirty.

Mistakes are often the best teachers, so if they insist, allow them to pick an unripe tomato. They will quickly learn that an unripe tomato doesn’t taste as good as a ripe one, and that an early harvest is wasteful. The same goes for immature potatoes, garlic, carrots and radishes. These are the lessons that stick.

Hang a calendar somewhere visible—in their bedroom or on the refrigerator—to schedule watering and weeding. Let them take responsibility for checking it and alerting you when those tasks need to be done. Crossing off completed items will also impart a feeling of accomplishment.

Gardening offers food and flowers, yes, but it also teaches patience, responsibility and the satisfaction that comes from nurturing something over an extended period. It’s also relaxing and creates precious one-on-one time that they’ll remember long after the flowers have faded. And that’s the best harvest of all.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.