I’m all about family fun! Gardening is fun! Whether a master gardener,
just starting out, or somewhere in between, gardening is a family activity
everyone can participate in. It’s important to teach our children where food
comes from, and I’m not talking about the grocery store. We love learning by
visiting farmers markets, taking local farm tours, and of course gardening…so
that we can watch our own food grow.
If you are already
gardening, the easiest way to incorporate your children is by giving them their
own plot of land. I love square foot gardening and you can even give
your children their own 3’x3’ plot. If you are just starting out, let them man
a few squares of your bigger box. Older kids can research growing schedules and
everyone can pick what they want to grow. (Some of our favorites include:
carrots, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, sugar snap peas, green beans and the
fast growing radishes…though no one will ever eat them once they are picked!) If
you are short on space try your hand at container gardening. I love to use old whisky barrels as planters but you can even upcycle
your old plastic bins by just drilling holes in the bottom and filling with
gravel and soil.
Our deck container garden (when it was first planted) |
Plant your seeds
or transplants and you are off to a great start. My 2 year old is a master
weeder and my 5 year old takes pride in watering the plants when they need it.
We check our plants on a daily basis (most often in our PJ’s as soon as
everyone wakes up). We’ve been having fun with our cherry tomatoes this year.
We planted transplants from a local gardening store and they quickly grew to
the size of my 2 year old. A week later they were as tall as my 5 year old. Not
much longer they were taller than mommy and daddy too! They are currently a
good 12-15 feet tall and an almost nightly discussion topic at our dinner
table.
Kids exploring our Wild Plum tree |
In a month or two comes the harvest! Harvesting is by
far the most coveted gardening activity in our household. We take turns picking
ripe veggies and then either enjoy an immediate snack or integrate that day’s
pickings into our dinner meal. A handful of fresh homegrown cherry tomatoes
just can’t be beat!
Lastly, gardening
can be a fun learning experience too. Let older kids journal about their
experiences for the perfect homeschool unit. Draw pictures, track planting and
harvesting dates, and record successes and unfortunate failures. You could even
start your own compost bin. Year after year you can expand your garden, figure
out varieties that work well and your kids can take more leadership in the
family garden.
A cucumber failure |
Get gardening and get your kids involved! You
can start with a very small investment and learn a useful skill alongside your
children. In no time you will have excited children and fresh (healthy) veggies
to eat.