How to Start a Family Garden With Your Kids
The two most common complaints from parents these days is that their kids don’t eat a sufficient amount of healthy foods and that they don’t get enough sunlight and fresh air. To combat these problems, take up gardening. Gardening can take time and care, but also a number of fun activities to keep them fruitfully occupied. Not only will the children learn to love nature, they will also be more aware of what foods they are eating—and healthy ones too!
Location, Location, Location
If your home has a large backyard, go on a “tour” and ask the kids to choose a spot that fulfills these requirements: it gets sunlight, but not all day, and it is free of large plants or trees. The spot doesn’t have to be big—just as long as the kids have a patch to call their own. Be sure to take pictures of the bare soil so they can see the progress as the garden grows.
Preparing the Soil
Pick out some kid-sized tools that, while fitting comfortably in little hands, are effective but not dangerous; any work that requires large tools can be done by the parents. Kids love getting dirty, and you won’t have to ask them twice to dig up the soil and rip out weeds.During each stage of the process, explain what purpose each step in gardening has: what little creatures—especially worms!—are in the soil and how they help plants grow.
Choosing the Right Fruits and Vegetables
Take the little gardeners to the local farmer’s market to see which vegetables and fruits are most suited to the climate and soil type in your area. Make a list of veggies your family loves to eat, as well as some new produce that you hope to get them accustomed to. Remember that kids don’t have a lot of patience, so choose veggies and fruits that will grow quickly, without requiring much attention. You can either start from seeds or seedlings, whichever is more readily available—but remember starting from seeds will take longer to see results.
Watering and Regular Care
Kids are full of energy; it’s up to the parents to productively channel that towards working in the garden. If the kids are getting bored—as gardening can sometimes be tedious work after the initial excitement has worn off—try to make it more fun. Take pictures of the kids engrossed in their gardening, and of the plants’ growth. The photos can even be a secondary project: document the gardening process by putting together a scrapbook, which they can show off to friends and family.
After you have planted the seedlings or seeds, come up with a care plan. If the plants require watering, decide on a schedule so that the children will feel “in charge” of their plants when it is their turn to water. You will also need to explain how to tell when a fruit or vegetable is ready to be picked.
Reaping the Fruits of Labor
Now comes the most rewarding part of maintaining a family garden. Once the fruit or vegetables are ripe, take your helpers to inspect the garden and pick ones for the table. Instead of setting them aside for future use, let them wash and prepare some of the vegetables (using kid-friendly cooking tools!) for the next meal—children will love the feeling of accomplishment. Fruits, like berries, are a great quick snack, and a healthy alternative to processed snacks.
When guiding your children through the different phases of growing a garden for the family, you will hopefully see a remarkable change in their attitudes towards fruits and vegetables that will continue to grow.
