Gardening With Kids
GARDENING WITH KIDS:
As many of you know, when I get home after work my favorite thing to do in the Spring and Summer is to change into some old clothes, throw on a pair of gloves, grab a shovel and start working the dirt in my vegetable and flower gardens. I thought I would share some of the types of spring gardening projects which are fun and easy to do with kids:
- Marigolds, Zinnias and Sunflowers: These flowers can be grown in a sunny spot by planting the seeds in a container (make sure it has drainage holes) or directly into the ground. The mammoth sunflowers are really fun to grow- last year mine grew to about 10 feet tall and had to be staked. Sunflowers require patience – they take about three months to bloom to enjoy later in the summer.
- Cucumbers: By either planting seeds directly into the ground or buying a small plant, cucumbers grow quickly and you will get many cucumbers from just a couple of plants. It’s best to have the cucumbers grow up some sort of trellis which can be purchased at Home Depot or a garden center. I like to grow the smaller pickling cucumbers as you don’t need to peel them and you will be picking them steadily for weeks.
- Tomatoes: Plants can be grown either in a container or in the ground. Tomatoes also need a trellis or a stake as the plants get large. Small grape or cherry tomatoes are especially fun to grow with kids as you just pick the sweet tomatoes off the plant and eat them on the spot.
- Butternut Squash/Pumpkins: These are very easy to grow by seed or you can purchase a small plant. These plants will create vines with multiple fruit that will wander throughout your garden wherever it finds room to spread.
- Garden signs: For those crafty parents, it’s fun to make garden signs out of wood which can be painted with the name of the flower or vegetable.
I hope you have time to garden this summer with your children. I think you will all enjoy this family time together!