We're all guilty of over-indulging at Christmas, whether it's alcohol, food or spoiling the kids with mountains of presents.

But by getting the kids involved in growing their own vegetables for Christmas dinner you might just get them looking forward to something other than presents - and eating something other than sweets.

"Getting your kids to grow vegetables is a fun and interactive way to teach them about the importance of balance in their diets," says Awapuni gardening guru, Tod Palenski.

"It's also a great family activity which teaches kids some useful practical skills. They'll love showing off their garden to friends and grandparents."

Tod says spring is the perfect time to plant the vegetables you want to enjoy on Christmas day.

Because many vegetables prefer a well-drained, sunny situation, Tod recommends helping the kids to build their own raised-bed garden.

"The beauty of raised-bed gardens is that you can build them anywhere so you can ensure your plants have the conditions they need."

Make a raised-bed garden using punga logs or railway sleepers (ask your retailer to cut them to size) and start by levelling the ground with course sand.

Then help the kids to lay the logs or sleepers up to about half a metre high. To ensure they stay where they should, hammer wooden pegs into the ground behind them and then nail the pegs to the sleepers or logs.

Lay a weed mat at the bottom of the bed then fill with rich top soil mixed with compost and start planting.

"For a traditional Kiwi Christmas dinner you can't beat new potatoes," says Tod. "They're really easy to grow and if you dig them up on Christmas Eve they'll have a delicious, fresh flavour. The kids will love them!"

To start your potatoes you'll need to buy a bag of seed potatoes from your garden store and keep them in a dark, dry place until their sprouts are about an inch long.

"When they're ready to plant dig a trench and have the kids lay each seed potato along the bottom. Cover them with soil, leaving the sprout just showing."

Tod says the secret to growing great potatoes is to keep them covered. As they start to grow, get the kids to add a thin layer of soil on top of the potatoes and when they reach ground level mound the soil up over them, keeping the sprout poking out.

"Most varieties of potato will flower and when the flower dies they are ready to harvest. This can take between six and ten weeks, so get the kids to keep an eye on them."

One vegetable most kids can be persuaded to eat is the tomato. Tod recommends planting Awapuni's money maker variety.

"They're full of flavour and great in salads. Help the kids to make a teepee shape using three bamboo stakes and grow a plant up each stake."

Tod's tip for juicy tomatoes is to keep the soil damp. Once planted, cover the soil in pea straw to keep the moisture in and water them often.

"Avoid over-head watering because this can cause blight, the tomato plant's biggest enemy," he says. "Get the kids to water the base of the plants in the morning or the evening and feed them weekly with a good liquid fertiliser specifically for tomatoes."

Another top tip from Tod is to protect vegetables from flying insects by planting marigolds amongst them. As well as providing a contrasting golden colour, marigolds have a strong smell which can deter pests.

Come Christmas day, your tomatoes can be combined with home-grown gourmet lettuce leaves to make a special salad.

Awapuni has a new French mesclun mix, which includes curled endives, rocket, red chicory, red lettuce, corn salad, oak leaf mix and salad bowl, for added colour and crunch. Because the mix is made up of lettuces that don't have hearts you can pick off the leaves you need for an instant salad.

"Mesclun needs a well-drained situation, so the raised bed is perfect, but take care not to over water them or they will rot," says Tod. "Add a little lime to the soil to stop the leaves tasting bitter."

Strawberries are another a Kiwi Christmas staple and kids like to watch them grow almost as much as they like eating them. It's getting late in the season to plant them, but you should still be able to find them at your local garden centre if you're quick.

"Help the kids to plant strawberries around the outer edge of the raised-bed garden. This allows them to hang over the sides so the fruit doesn't sit on the ground and rot," says Tod. "Dig in some potash with the soil and cover with netting to protect from birds."

Try drizzling strawberries with balsamic vinegar or slice them into your salad for a special treat. You might even get the kids eating greens this Christmas!