Gardening with kids
Last Spring, we did something way out of our comfort zone and decided to clear out a little patch of our yard to plant a garden with our kids. To be honest, we thought it would just be fun to try but it turns out, our kids loved it so much that we have had a garden ever since. It has taught them responsibility in caring for their plants. They loved running out each day with their buckets to see what was ready and they learned how growing their own food works. Besides.. what kiddo doesn’t love digging around in the dirt?
We all walk out to the garden in rain or shine to make sure it was taken care of. It is now a great way to spend quality time together.
If you’ve thought about doing something similar, but are nervous, here are some ways you can get started:
Make your space
You don’t have to have lots of land to have a great garden! It can be anything from a small box of tomatoes to several rows of different veggies! Grab your box or till your ground up to dirt and make a few rows.
We opted to put down some landscape fabric to help with weeds, but this is an optional step.
Pick seeds based on the season! In the spring, we planted carrots, tomatoes, summer squash, watermelons , and cucumbers. For smaller scale, you could also do a small herb garden or tomato plants.
Plant seeds according to package, water, and watch the magic happen!
The last tip I’ll add is to find a non toxic bug repellant. Because I have small kids, I didn’t want anything toxic so I went with some organic garden sprays and it kept the bugs off of our veggies. You can also try products like First Saturday lime. Without something, I’ve learned , the bugs will come!
Because I have 4 kids, they each choose what they want to plant based on the list above and they each have their own little space to tend to. It’s so rewarding to grow your own food and it’s even more rewarding for your kids! Plus- I find them more likely to eat veggies that they grew 😉
In a world where these small things seem to be forgotten, I encourage you to try something new and plant a Summer garden with your kids this Spring!
Make sure to tag us in all of your home garden photos!
