Cultivating The Future: Kids & Gardening

This is going to be a fun article to write! Most of us are passionate about Scarecrow gardening and would love to pass that enthusiam onto others. We have the perfect audience, the youngsters of our families. Getting them interested in gardening and instilling a love of Nature and the fine art of growing isn't that hard, if we approach it correctly. Here are a few tips to help develop a green thumb in our children and grandchildren.

Before getting into what works with kids and gardening, let me point out a few things that are guaranteed to turn-off the kids from gardening. First and foremost is weeding. Don't assign the kids to weeding chores, at least not initially. Weeding is a turn-off even for avid gardeners, and if we think we are getting the kids hooked on gardening by having them do the weeding, think again! All it will do is to give them unpleasant memories and experiences, and it might turn them away from gardening altogether, not only now, but in the future. Ditto for any other harder chores such as hoeing and spading. Initially, kids need to take the more pleasant tasks at hand. While we want them to learn all aspects of gardening, taking them to the veggie patch to do wholesale weeding, hoeing, and spading isn't the answer.

First of all, start out small. Let them pick one plant that they will be tending. We can start out small and let them care for one potted plant, it's a good start. Even a three-year-old can manage one potted container. Let them pick out a plant to pot-up, let them water it, weed it, and fertilize it. Simple. Let them "name" their plant pet. Take pictures of it as it is growing, and start a photo diary of the child's gardening efforts and add to it every year.

As the kids grow older, let them have a small corner of the garden to plant what they choose, within reason, of course. Take them to the greenhouses and garden centers. Have them pick seed packets of plants that they might be interested in. Have them choose a couple of perennials to place in their flowerbeds. Let them buy a few tulips or daffodils to plant. Have them help decide what to buy from the garden catalogs.

Try to steer them towards easy-to-handle, easy-to-grow seeds and plants. Some plants that give almost instant gratification are those with large seeds and those that grow rapidly. Annual Bachelor's Buttons, zinnias, marigolds, sunflowers, Four-O'Clocks, carrots, pole beans, nasturtiums, and if you have room for it, a block of popcorn or a pumpkin or two are some fun choices for kids to grow. Add a scarecrow to the garden. Take more photos, have them take photos. Add to that album! Let them know they are responsible for watering, feeding, cultivating, and weeding that patch only. A good time to work that patch is when you are working in your garden. You can supervise their efforts and help them to do things correctly. Have them harvest their crops or pick their flowers. Let them make a bouquet for the kitchen table or to give their Moms, it they are the grandkids. Serve those beans for supper!

Here are some good choices for starting the gardener within your children:

Nasturtium Four O'Clocks Marigolds

Cleome Celosia (started plants) Bachelor's Buttons

Zinnias Petunia (started plants) Pansies (started plants)

Sunflowers Columbine Bleeding Hearts

Black Eyed Susan Coneflowers Heuchera (Coral Bells)

Chrysanthemums Tulips Daffodils

Corn Popcorn Indian Corn

Pumpkins Gourds Melons

Cucumbers Winter Squash Carrots

Pole Beans Radishes Cherry tomatoes

When they get a bit older yet, encourage them to join 4-H. Now, the 4-H Club is not for farmer's kids alone. There are many urban chapters, and gardening is also a featured activity for kids. Let them enter their flowers or produce in the county fair for judging. Let them show off their efforts to other people!

Granted, they still need to learn the other, more tedious aspects of gardening. Perhaps by offering them a bit of cash for their efforts, you can broaden their experience beyond their little garden plots. Don't expect them to weed the entire yard for $10, though. Settle on one area only, and let them do that area for a couple of bucks. Ask them if they might be interested in weeding another bed. Let them have some autonomy over their choices, yet make it clear they are responsible for the upkeep of their own garden patches.

Do some fun projects with the kids: Build teepees for the pole beans, gourds and cucumbers. Put pinwheels around the patch. Have them make a scarecrow for their garden. Help them look for earthworms for fishing or just to find them! Let them harvest the sunflowers to eat or feed the birds. As they grow older, let them have a compost site or a small tumbler. Help them to carve their "own" pumpkins. Buy them kid-sized tools to work their garden patches. When they get older, have them pick some fragrant herbs, such as chocolate mint and scented geraniums to grow. Show them how to bruise the leaves to release the scent of the plants, and how to grow the mints in confined containers. Hunt for insects and butterflies in the gardens. Point out the beneficial insects. In the spring, have them start a few seeds of plants indoors, and help them to maintain them. Pot-up a few herbs at the end of the season for them to grow indoors during the winter, and use those herbs in cooking!

Teens often drop the pursuits of childhood for other activities. If they drop their interest in gardening, don't despair! If you have given them pleasant experiences and memories of gardening, they will return to it later on, I guarantee! Even if they drop out of gardening, you might have them help to decide which perennials to pick from those gardening catalogs that come in the mail.

Cultivating kid's interest in gardening isn't hard if we overlook the shortcomings of less-than-perfect gardens. The main thing is to get them involved, encourage their interest, make it a pleasant experience for them, and recognize their efforts. If we do this, not only will we be nurturing future green-thumbers, we will be building wonderful memories for ourselves, our kids and our grandkids, and that is priceless, indeed!