Got picky eaters? Turns out gardening may be a solution to your problem.

How can 7 months of Gardening affect a how a child sees fruit and veggies?

That was the question asked by Triador et al. 2015.

This study looked into how gardening influenced Aboriginal First Nations children in Alberta. Their goal was to see in preferences towards healthy snack options increased after gardening. Children in grade 1-6 planted and cared for the classroom's garden and then were allowed to eat whatever they grew.

Since Alberta's weather is too harsh for produce to grow outside during the school year, students grew veggies and berries in Earthbox container gardens. Earthbox (~$55) is a fancy little container that is a self contained growing machine (well not really a machine, but you catch my drift). According to the website, you can get “great results no matter what color your thumb is” which I think is really important when your dealing with young gardeners.

This experiment was developed around Social Cognitive Theory, a theory which states that human behavior is the product of reciprocal determinism, affects (Bandura, 1986). To reword this more clearly, reciprocal determinism is a theory where a persons behavior is influenced by and influences personal factors and social environment. Triador 2015 believed that by gardening in the classroom, behavioral (skills at growing and eating food), personal (knowledge of healthy foods), and environmental (classroom gardens) factors will influence the child's food preferences towards healthier food options.

In general, tomatoes were the only vegetable that showed an increase in preferences. Preferences for other vegetables also increased, however these increases were not very strong (not statistically significant). Preferences for fruit remained about the same, but it is important to note that the preferences for fruit were high to begin with.

So, unfortunately, the results aren't that promising from this study but if you're a desperate parent trying to get your kids to eat healthier, there is some hope that they'll like some tomatoes after about seven months.

All jokes aside, science is showing us that combining school and home programs can mold the perspectives of children. It is also suggesting that classroom gardens can have a positive impact on kids, and this practice promotes the practice of heather lifestyles. There are many factors that also may be influencing the results of this particular study, so I would recommend trying this out on your own!

Table 1. Summarized table of the results found in Triador et al. 2015

Want to know what you can grow in an earthbox?

Check out the video below

References:

Bandura, A. (n.d.). Social Foundations of Thought and Action. The Health Psychology Reader,94-106. doi:10.4135/9781446221129.n6

Triador, L., Farmer, A., Maximova, K., Willows, N., & Kootenay, J. (2015). A School Gardening and Healthy Snack Program Increased Aboriginal First Nations Children's Preferences Toward Vegetables and Fruit. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 47(2), 176-180. doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2014.09.002