Gardening with Children
by R. Proffitt

Working in the garden with children, doesn't need to be complicated or difficult.

To be perfectly honest, they couldn't care less about the things you want to grow, or the measures you take to get there.  All a child cares about is getting that plant to grow, measuring it, taking care of it, and finally harvesting it.

Yes, harvesting it.  The favourite thing for a child to grow, is something that they benefit from... some children like to grow a beautiful flower.

Others prefer vegetables, which you later teach them how to cook and serve up at the table.

My children love to play in the garden.  They are fascinated with ants, spiders and caterpillars.  They love dandelions and wild violets.  They are more than willing to eat some of the things you have grown in the garden, and they are absolutely the first person to discover that the seeds you planted have sprouted.

Gardening with the children in tow is very simple.  Hand them some cheap tools (dollar store variety are fine), place a small gardening apron around them (I happen to know our local home store carries canvas aprons for 99 cents) and some gloves on their hands.  Why gloves?  Because if you wear them, trust me, they will want some too ;)

Let them dig in the dirt.  I learned that giving them an area of garden 'for their own' was worth more than letting them dig where they liked.  Sure, you can let them help you in any area... but give them something of their own (whether it be a pot or a square foot garden), let them choose what gets planted there, and you will not regret it.

Gardening techniques vary... I could show you step by step how to do something, and it may not work where you are.  However I do know a few things to get you started.

1.  Start small.  Work with a small area the first year... a 4 by 4 square is sufficient.

2.  Read as much as you can.  I highly recommend Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew, and Lasagna Gardening by Pat Lanza.  These two books really help you to work on a garden with minimal effort.  This is important, because as a homeschooling/ afterschooling mother/ father, chances are you are very busy.  The low maintenance methods are much better to start with, because you are more likely to work with them.

3.  Use mulch.  Mulch is something no gardener should be without.  It helps retain water in dry weather and keeps weeds to a minimum.  You can use all kinds of mulch, from the free bark mulch supplied by local recycling centres (check it out) to straw, to more ornamental varieties.  If you need to be cheap, look into the free mulches out there... leaves raked up and discarded by neighbours, pine needles from your pine tree or the mulch at the recycling centre.  If you use pine needles, you may need to amend your soil with some products to counteract acidity... but it is not definite :).

4.  Educate yourself. Speak to local gardeners, visit local garden centres.  All garden centres have special events in the spring to entice customers in... ask yours what events they have planned.  Watch the local papers for other garden events... I know my area has an annual Herb Festival... I have attended for several years now.  It is packed with gardeners, and there are often lessons and lectures to go along with it. You might also like to look into the master gardener program put out by your local extension office.

5.  Let your kids participate... they will enjoy it!  You can incorporate a whole bunch of things into gardening... mathematics, science... nature study!

6.  But most of all... enjoy yourself.  There is no reason a few stolen hours in the sun should be anything but fun!

For more on Gardening with Children, you can check out the yahoo group, The Potager

HOME