Gardening has been great for my kids. It helps their bodies – maybe they will try that vegetable that they grow on their own. It helps their minds – learning where food comes from and how it grows. And it helps their souls – time outside and the sense of accomplishment that comes when that first seed sprouts!
We have also hit a few hurdles on our journey, so we keep it simple – the attention span of a 6-8 year old is not lengthy enough for some of the more advanced techniques out there. We make it fun – we choose fun things to grow, pick only the best weather to be out in, and have a few fun tools (kids’ spades, watering cans, and gloves). We celebrate even the smallest success – one little watermelon on our plant is enough to make us giggle together.
As my son says, “Let’s Go!”
Step 1: Planting Seeds.
We usually do one tray of each flowers, herbs, and veggies/fruits. We choose fun to watch varieties and unique things the kids gravitate to like purple cauliflower. Cherry tomatoes are our favorite.
Those little fingers are great at getting those pesky seeds in their places. I usually fill a tray with seed starter soil, hand them the seed packets and labels and let them go! You will have mislabeled seedlings and probably some overseeding, so you might have to step in and prune out some of the double sprouts as they come in.
We use their special watering cans to keep a nice ½in of water in the bottom of our tray – another time you will need to step in and make sure they don’t forget – and set them under a light where they can get started ahead of the season.
Step 2: Getting them Comfortable Outside.
Once we have some good solid starts, and the weather is warm enough, we start moving the trays outside for the daytime sun and inside at night to keep them warm. Our favorite memory is of a flash rainstorm that incited yells of “Save the Babies!” in our house, and a few moments later, our seedlings were inside and safe and we were all soaking wet and laughing.
Step 3: Putting them into Their Beds
When we are sure the weather will hold for the season, and the seedlings have been on the outdoor rotation for a couple weeks, the kids pull the tiny plants out of their plug trays and put them safely into their beds. The flowers will go into the outdoor pots, the herbs into a few pots on the porch for easy harvesting, and the veggies into the raised beds and fabric pots in the sunny part of our yard.
Each of them has their own raised bed that they got to decorate. and that gets the competitive side of my son going. This competition to raise your veggies to the best they can be keeps them watering, pruning and checking on their bounty.
Step 4: Watering, Fertilizing, and Reaping the Rewards!
About 9 weeks into our process, I put some all purpose veggie fertilizer in the beds and pots and have the kids help me work it into the soil. We use the organic and natural Down to Earth product for this and their gloves for my peace of mind on their tiny hands.
And, as the summer starts to come in, we get success! We harvest, try new ways of preparing our new foods, snack on the cherry tomatoes and exclaim how much sweeter they are when you grow them yourselves!
-Rachel
Leave a Reply