But regardless of my green or not-so-green thumb, I'm just not a gardener at heart. In fact, I always say that if my husband wouldn't plant a garden, we just wouldn't have one. I know we'd be missing out on all of the home-grown yumminess that comes from a garden...but I just wouldn't be motivated to do it myself. Growing up my parents always had beautiful gardens and spent a lot of time and energy into making them such, I guess I just didn't inherit the love for it.
So what about your kids? Do they enjoy gardening? you might be wondering. Well...sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. They like to water my flowers from time-to-time [but only when it suits them] and I think they've planted a few seeds here and there [until they get bored and would rather jump on the trampoline or run through the sprinkler]. And they sure do enjoy picking off the plants in the veggie garden - snap peas, cherry tomatoes, raspberries, etc. But they don't really spend a lot [or any] time actually nurturing or caring for it. I think I'd like that to change. I would love for them to regularly spend time in the garden and to do the whole process too, from start to finish and everything in between.
That would include marking off rows, planting, watering, weeding and harvesting. It would be great to have gardening turn into a family affair instead of just leaving it for Dad to take care of [and me to try to hold things together if/when he's away]. It could turn into one of their summertime chores perhaps, where they each have to spend a certain amount of time in the garden per week doing whatever is needed to help keep it in good shape.
I was looking online the other day and came across a good article about gardening [click here to check it out]. I discovered it had some pretty helpful tips. Now, the article is specifically tips for gardening with kids - ahem - but I think some of these tips could be pretty useful for an adult like me too, who has proved to be rather inept at gardening. I encourage you to read the entire post, but here are the tips, followed by my own comments on them.
1. Start small and keep it simple. Brilliant advice! If we want our children to help out with something, giving them responsibility [even partial responsibility] of a huge garden might be just too overwhelming for them. Our garden is already planted this year [likely yours all are too] but for next year I might consider asking hubby to corner off a section of the garden just for me and my girls to take care of. That way I won't risk screwing up ALL of our home-grown produce, but we'll still get to try to care for and grow something on our own.
2. Use a kid-friendly layout. This sort of fits into the "keep it simple" category in my opinion. Making sure there is enough space between rows is one thing to keep in mind when you know kids will be working in the garden, so you can walk without damaging any plants.
3. Give kids tools of their own. This one is great for both kids and me! Getting kid-sized garden tools and their own properly-fitting gardening gloves is a great way to get them excited about working in the garden. And for me? A pair of pretty pink gardening gloves would get me more interested in helping out too!
4. Choose plants that grow easily. Research which plants are easier to grow and nurture and choose those ones to plant with your child. You certainly can do other ones as well, but if you section off a part of the garden for your child to care for [or your wife...hee hee], make sure to pick ones that will be more likely to fare well under their supervision. This will give them a sense of pride and accomplishment - rather than if they destroy a plant that they worked hard for but was just too difficult for a beginner.
5. Decorate the garden. How much more fun would it be for a child to work in a garden that was decorated rather than just a boring ol' patch of dirt with green plants? It's definitely more enticing if there are some bright colors in the mix. You can find all sorts of things to stick into the dirt to improve the appearance - like bright, colorful butterflies and ladybugs on sticks, or like the writer of the post I'm getting these tips from suggested, making a banner to welcome all of the plants! I've even heard of people using an old toilet as decoration - filling it with dirt and planting flowers in it! Use your imagination and get your kids involved with how you choose to decorate.
Growing your own fresh produce is a wonderful way to be green and economical AND to take on a family project that you can all work on together. Besides, it's a 'chore' that can be done outdoors! And with so many other chores keeping us cooped up inside, on a beautiful summer day what better excuse to ditch the indoor chores and get your feet dirty in the garden instead?
And I think it's so important to get your kids involved in everything you do around the house and yard. This way not only are you teaching them skills - and life lessons about responsibility - but you are spending quality time with them in the process! This is a win-win situation for everybody!
So grab those gardening gloves, hook up the water hose and get those feet muddy! But before you do...tell me if you have a garden and what you have planted! Our garden this year has snap peas, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, carrots and lettuce!
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My name is Andrea (Andi) and I have the privilege of working part-time alongside Pam to help her with "a little of this and a little of that" as she strives to bring superb customer service to all of you through her Tiny TreeHugger business.
I am a 33-year-old mostly stay-at-home mother of two girls (aged 6 and 8) and have been happily married for almost 11 years. I am a Pepsi-loving, game-playing, guitar-learning, Nutella-craving girl [among many other things that make me ME]. I cloth-diapered my girls when they were babies and enjoyed the cost savings as well as the feeling of helping the environment - one cloth diaper at a time.
Thanks for checking in and I'll see you again both on this blog and on Facebook!
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