By Denise Sanger
Gardening is both fun and educational, and there are no age limits. You can plant a traditional garden, or allow your child to select some specific items to grow. Consider these tips when you plan a garden, and make it an activity the whole family can enjoy:
Plant something you can eat. Even if you can't pick your crop right away, being able to pick food from the garden and put it directly on the table is a huge plus. Your kids are more likely to try healthy foods they have grown themselves, and if you plant judiciously, you can have an entire season's worth of fresh veggies in a single garden plot.
Plant in rotation: If you plan on growing carrots, for example, plant in several batches. If you plant a handful of seeds a week, you will be able to pull up carrots for several weeks in the late summer. Carrots or radishes are great plants for kids to grow—they are almost indestructible, and lots of fun to pull from the ground. Just make sure your little farmer doesn't pull them prematurely!
Plant things that grown quickly: Nature takes time—but if your plants take too long to grow, the kids may lose interest. Consider planting a fast growing and fun plant like birdhouse gourds (these are climbers, so make sure they have something to cling to). If you plant gourds from seeds, you can watch the plants grow, then make something from the gourds, extending the fun into the next season. Strawberries, cherry tomatoes, baby lettuces, and sweet peas are all good, fast growing plants that kids can enjoy sooner rather than later.
Use integrated pest management. This is a fancy term for "use bugs to eat other bugs". You can do a ladybug release, which is a fun science activity on it's own, and will keep aphids and pests from devouring your plants. Make a cute toad house to encourage your local bug-eating amphibian to visit, or create a scarecrow to discourage birds from eating your crops. Using innovative and chemical free methods to rid your garden of pests ensures that your food is healthy—and that you will get a chance to eat it.
Consider Containers: If you don't have a yard, or live in an area that makes gardening difficult, consider using pots and containers to grow your garden plants. You can grow larger plants like tomatoes and zucchini right in a bag of garden soil. Just purchase a bag of the correct mix for the plant you want, jab a hole in it, and place the plant inside. Many vegetables will grow happily in this type of environment, and you can place bags or containers as needed.
Start with Seeds: If you are planting seeds, consider starting them indoors, and watching them sprout. This is a fun and simple science activity you can do together, and most seeds will germinate in just a few days. You can transplant the seedlings to the garden or a container later as needed.
Denise Sanger is the owner of NewCoolToysOnline.com which features a fantastic selection of toddler toys and ride on toddler toys. The company is located in sunny Florida and may be reached at 877-950-7665.
Source:www.isnare.com |
