Imagine your child’s surprise when you help them break open a garden-grown pea pod and they discover that fresh peas taste – sweet! How about their astonishment when the little sunflower seed they plant sprouts to become a sturdy seven foot plant with a flower the size of their head?
Gardening with your child can be a fun and exciting experience that will give you both bountiful memories and experiences. As an added bonus you can both get some exercise outside (away from the TV), and even learn fascinating lessons about nature and the world around us.
Find a Good Location
You don’t need a lot of land to have a garden. In fact, it’s best to err on the side of caution with your first garden. Use only as much space as you can comfortably take care of. You want the gardening experience to be enjoyable, not a back-breaking nuisance. Nothing puts the damper on gardening like out of control plants and overgrown weeds. Make sure the garden will be easily accessible and near a source of water.
The site should have exposure to full sun for at least eight hours a day. The quality of the soil is not so important, because it can be amended (more on that later). However, the ground must have good drainage. Take a look at the spot after it rains for a few hours. If standing water remains, then consider someplace else.
Clear the garden space of grass and weeds and turn over the soil. Once you remove all the grass and weeds, get out your shovel and turn over the soil. This will help aerate the soil and make it easier for the plants to sprout and grow. After you have turned over the soil, get a rake and break up all the clods of soil and rake it smooth. Though the job of turning over the soil may be a bit difficult for your child, using the rake is not difficult. You can even buy a smaller sized rake suited to children. The soil in a newly established garden may not be as fertile as it could be. If you can, add a couple of inches of rotted manure or compost to the top of the soil and rake it in so that it mixes with the top 5-6 inches of the garden soil. Now… you are ready to plant.
Picking Your Plants
The list of plants you can put in your garden is endless. Keep in mind that you want some “action” throughout the season. That means a mix of early and late crops as well as flowers that attract birds and butterflies. Spend some time with your child going over the pictures and descriptions in seed catalogs. Think about how your child will relate to the plant. For example, radishes are frequently suggested as a good plant for a children’s garden because they grow quickly. My experience is that kids consider them boring. They aren’t very exciting to look at when they are growing, and once you harvest them all you have left is a hole in the ground. Besides, radish is not at the top of the favorite food list for most kids. Keeping that in mind, here are a few kid-friendly flowers and vegetables to consider:
Zinnia
You really can’t go wrong with zinnias. They grow quickly from seed and are also widely available as started plants. They come in a huge variety of colors, sizes and flower type and they bloom continually from mid-summer through frost. They make an excellent cut flower. The flowers attract butterflies and later in the season the seeds forming on the flowers attract a variety of seed-eating birds.
Sunflower
This is another great plant for kids. Sunflowers are best started from seed, which sprout and grow quickly. Like zinnias, sunflowers are available in a wide range of colors and sizes. Many varieties of sunflower grow very large and present quite a presence in the garden. They also attract a variety of butterflies and other winged creatures, and the seeds are a big draw for birds.
Peas
A great choice for an early crop from the garden. Since peas can withstand cool weather, they can be planted very early in the spring. When you go out to harvest the peas, eat them immediately for a sweet treat. The sugar in the peas quickly turns to starch after they are picked.
Tomato
A garden just doesn’t seem like a garden without at least one tomato plant. Tomatoes are best purchased as started plants. Ask your local nursery for suggestions of plants that do well in your area. For plentiful snack-size tomatoes, consider planting a cherry tomato plant. Take note however; Many of these varieties grow quite large. Make sure you have some support for the plant.
Pole Beans
Pole beans make a dramatic statement in the garden. They are easy to harvest and great eating. Plant the seeds in a circle around the edge of a tee-pee support at least six feet in height. The beans will climb up the support and create a little hide-away for your child.
Planting and Maintenance
Finally, time to plant the garden. Seeds for cool weather crops can be sown early in the spring. Warm weather plants such as beans, squash and tomatoes need to wait until the late spring or early summer after the soil has warmed. Make sure you understand the spacing requirements of each plant. The small and frail looking seedling early in the season will be much larger and robust after a few months of growth.
Every garden needs maintenance. This includes tasks such as staking, weeding, watering and mulching. These are all jobs your child can handle. Make time for working together, but also encourage your child to take some ownership of the garden by initiating work by themselves.
This is also a good time to talk about the garden eco-system. Explain how plants get nourishment and what they need in the garden. When it is time to weed, explain how competition weakens the plants we are trying to encourage. (A weed is just a plant in the wrong place at the wrong time.) Instead of throwing away your grass clippings, show your child how they can be used to mulch the plants. Once in a while take a peek under the mulch and show your child all the “action” going on as the mulch decomposes.
Harvest
It’s time to make a big deal – harvest time! Show your child how to pick the vegetables and how to know when they are ripe. Need a side dish for dinner? Why not some vegetables from the garden? How can your child refuse to eat his or her veggies when they grew them themselves? How about beautifying the house with a little bouquet of cut flowers? When you show your child that the fruit of their labor is actually used and valued, they will be encouraged to take an even more active role in the garden.
As you and your child feel more comfortable in the garden you can expand the space to include a greater number of varieties. Think about some perennial plants such as asparagus, strawberry, raspberry or horseradish. At some point your child may even want to make their first few dollars selling vegetables to people in the neighborhood.
Whatever path the garden takes, enjoy the experience. This is your time to work toward a common goal and learn to explore the world together.