It’s no secret that many youngsters’ closest encounter with vegetables these days is found in a fast-food wrapper and fried to a crisp. But some Indiana children are learning firsthand that food tastes better when it’s grown right in their own schoolyard.

At Indianapolis Public School #114, a garden next to the playground has opened kids’ eyes and tickled their taste buds. The school benefited from the assistance of Global Peace Initiatives, a nonprofit organization that brought its prodigious volunteer power to bear in building the garden last year. “It’s been a great experience for the children to see that fruits and vegetables don’t just come out of a can,” says Kate Voss, parent and community coordinator. She hopes to use the expanded garden’s produce this year to address hunger among the school’s families.

The flower and vegetable plants that you’ll transplant into your garden this spring might already be growing on a farm or in a greenhouse—as far away as California—waiting to travel long distances in a windowless truck to reach your neighborhood gardening center. If those aren’t the ideal roots for your garden, one sustainable alternative is to launch your garden in February and March by sprouting seeds indoors...