GROW KIDS WITH A
GARDEN
by Keith C. Hansen, County Extension Horticulturist - Smith
County
Tyler, Texas
Have you ever gotten your kids involved in a gardening project? I
mean really involved? Most of the time we want to make sure
youngsters don't step on the newly seeded carrots, pull off green
tomatoes or the first blooms on the flowers. How about letting them
have a garden spot they can call all their own?
Growing plants is very educational and therapeutic as anyone who is
involved in gardening will quickly agree. Yes, we fight pestilence,
are frustrated by uncooperative weather, and experience failures.
But, that's a picture of life. A garden teaches us many things
concerning life and is a wonderful tool for developing young minds.
The immediate rewards come when the flowers bloom and the
vegetables are ready to eat. In the long term, children can learn
many important lessons which will help them mature into responsible
adults.
Children are naturally inquisitive, and what better way to nurture
their curiosity than in a healthy exploration of the plant world?
Youngsters can be taught an incredible number of lessons just by
raising a few plants. Responsibility and patience are two virtues
that quickly comes to mind as lessons we all learn from a garden.
Let them have failures along side successes. They will open up much
more to your guidance as they realize your advice can help them
reach their gardening goals.
Of course, science can be taught in many enjoyable ways. The life
cycle of a plant, from the germination of a seed to the production
of fruit, to its eventual death, mirrors all events in life. How
does a plant grow? What does it need? How do environmental events
like heat, cold, drought and pollution affect the growth of plants.
Hundreds of very simple experiments can be done in a garden. When
a child asks a question, help them to suggest answers and design a
simple experiment to test their theory.
Pests are a part of every garden and discovering the many insects,
both good and bad, living in the garden will be an adventure. A
magnifying glass will reveal many hidden things on leaves, flowers,
in the soil, etc. Adults will need to assist in pest control.
Kids can learn to plan a garden based on what they (and the family)
like to eat. There are many levels of math skills involved in
planning and planting a garden such as measuring, counting,
figuring rates of fertilizer based on the area of the garden. Help
older kids figure out how much it costs to raise the plants and
what the same produce costs at the market. Maybe they will even
sell their surplus to the neighbors. This can help them learn
financial responsibility. Giving the surplus to the food bank or a
needy family will teach compassion.
Record keeping and organization is another lesson that can be
learned in keeping a garden. I must confess that this is one area
I always try to improve on and yet seem to fail miserably every
year. Starting young may help develop good organizational skills
that can last through their entire life.
The key to gardening success is to start small at first. There is
nothing more discouraging than a garden plot out of control with
weeds. A 4' by 4' or 3' by 6' raised bed enclosed by timbers can
grow a lot of produce and flowers and can be reached from all
sides. Their garden might be separate from the family garden or
part of it, but should have definite borders and perhaps even a
sign - like APRYL'S GARDEN.
Let the child do their own thing, with guidance. Don't insist on
arrow straight rows or a weed-free garden.
Try to pick vegetables that are bush types rather than sprawling,
running types. A trellis, fence or wire cage can be used to grow
the plants up instead of out to conserve garden space and ease
harvesting.
If you do not have a sunny patch of ground (6 hours of direct sun
a day is needed for best results), then try gardening in
containers. You can grow many things in all sorts of containers,
and half the fun is finding odd and unusually shaped things to hold
the soil. The container should be able to hold enough soil
equivalent to a 2 to 5 gallon nursery container and have drainage
holes which you can add. A good quality potting soil should be
purchased for containers instead of using dirt from the yard. Since
containers dry out much more quickly, the plants will be even more
dependent on regular, daily care for survival and success. Regular
feeding with liquid plant food will also be part of the routine.
Tools for children are available that are small and fit their size.
Short handled shovels and rakes, hand tools and a small wheel
barrow can make a child's gardening efforts more enjoyable and
productive.
Some vegetables to plant for this growing season include tomatoes,
green beans, cucumber, eggplants, peppers and squash. If you have
room, sweet corn, watermelons, pumpkins and sweet potatoes. Odd or
unusual vegetables can spark interest, like spaghetti squash,
cherry tomatoes, birdhouse and other ornamental gourds. Flowers can
be mixed in, or a whole plot devoted to bloomers. Flower gardening
can be done in the shade or sun, depending on types used.
Be creative, be helpful, set guidelines, nurture curiosity and let
the kids grow to love life.
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