Gardening Basics

Make Gardening a Family Affair

Posted by anne.kirrin

Give Your Kids a Back-to-School Break and Introduce Them to Gardening (ARA) - The transition between summer vacation and back to school can be a difficult time for some kids. The carefree days of summer have been replaced by homework, classes and more homework. To keep them from experiencing a back-to-school backlash, involve them in an after-school activity that gets them back outdoors and calms their nerves, if only for an hour each day. Gardening with your children can be therapeutic – especially at this often stressful time of year.

Yet, fun in the garden is not guaranteed, especially when children are involved. It’s important to plan for a good experience and plant the seeds for success early on. If children’s first experiences with gardening are fun and successful, chances are good they’ll develop a green thumb that will stay with them for life.

1. Set realistic goals and don’t expect too much. It’s better to care for a small space rather than overwhelming both you and your child with the challenges of a larger area. Perhaps you can mark off an area of a larger garden that is dedicated to your child’s care.

2. Focus on the fun. For younger children, soil preparation may be the most fun part of gardening. There are few things children enjoy more than digging in the dirt. Let them choose those activities they enjoy most while still encouraging them to try new activities.

3. Encourage enthusiasm with quick, positive results. Plant seeds that mature quickly. Vegetables are a good choice for young children. They germinate quickly and can be eaten when mature. Children may even like to eat vegetables that they have grown.

4. Think safety. Choose flowers and plants that are non-toxic. Also look for disease and pest-resistant plants. Children love to touch and fingers often wind up in mouths, so organic and pesticide-free plants are safest. Vegetables that are fairly problem free include beans, cucumbers, onions, peas, radishes, spinach and rhubarb.

5. Let children decide. From the time you choose where to put the garden, let your child help make the important decisions. You will, of course, need to provide the proper guidance, such as explaining the importance of sufficient sun, good soil and available water. Make sure children feel they are responsible. You can help, but don’t do it all for them.

6. Get creative. Children delight in the unexpected. Many garden vegetables are now available in unusual sizes. Speckled beans, yellow pear tomatoes, red carrots and miniature cucumbers are all fun even for experienced gardeners. The funny colors and shapes help add spice to the overall gardening experience.

7. Provide the right tools. Children should have their own tools for use in the garden. Not only does this make them feel grown up, it also facilitates a positive experience. Choose tools that are sized for small hands and tasks. But make sure they’re durable enough to do real gardening tasks, because kids love to mimic what adults do.

A new line of children’s garden tools by The Budding Gardeners from Troy-Bilt features solid wood handles and stainless steel implements for real digging, raking and sweeping. Yet they’re kid-sized with rounded edges for safety and painted with bright, playful colors. The Complete Gardening Kit includes a kid-sized wheelbarrow, watering can, three hand tools, garden gloves, seed packets (with easy growing, low-maintenance plants) and a how-to manual. The line also includes a set of six long-handled tools, a garden tote set with three hand tools, and a children’s gardening apron – everything needed to get young gardeners started off right.

8. Appeal to the senses. Choose plants that appeal to sight, feel and smell. Pumpkins and sunflowers are good choices visually because they are large and bright. Various herbs have distinctive scents, as do various fragrant flowering plants such as honeysuckle and lilac. Plants with fuzzy, bumpy or waxed surfaces are also fun for little hands to touch.

9. Don’t rush. Enjoy the quiet time you have with your child. This is an opportunity for parents and grandparents to bond and listen in an otherwise noisy, electronic obsessed world. More than anything, gardening is a great way to spend time together as a family and have some good old-fashioned family fun without spending a lot of money.

10. Make gardening a year-round family activity. Just because the ground is covered with snow or rain is falling doesn’t mean the interest in gardening has to end. Check out the various web sites that cater to children’s gardening activities. At www.thebuddinggardeners.com, for example, you’ll find numerous activities and projects that can be enjoyed regardless of the season.

For more tips on how to grow your child’s lifelong interest in gardening, visit www.thebuddinggardeners.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content

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