Are you Mentoring Anybody to Help Them Learn?

[Stubbornhillfarm]

I think that is awesome! (and now I have a documentary to watch too!)

I have my grown daughters that I mentor, but that is a given.

I have a friend that has had lung transplants years ago due to CF. Last year I spoke to her about growing her own food. She was always making comments about me growing this or that and how she wished she could, but couldn't. She has a husband and a little boy. I convinced her that "She CAN!" grow some of her own food. I told her that the only dusty part (which is her biggest issue) is when you first plant. So we can help her. She can have her little boy water and make it a family affair. I just talked to her again and she is on board to try some container gardening!!!!!!!

Last year, my boss after hearing a couple of us employees talk about thier gardens decided to put one in. He is a city slicker, but I was really happy that he was getting into gardening. He also purchased a pig from us. We raised it, he just picked it up at the butcher. Baby steps...baby steps.

My other boss, I talked into letting his little girl get 10 baby chicks from me last year.

I must say though...that I learn just as much if not more from other gardeners and the more people I talk to the more I learn. Spread the gardening/farming info!!! Live healthier and happier! Keep up the good work all.

I hope that I never get to a point that I feel like my fanny belongs only in the teachers chair. I have so much more to learn about so many things in life. It doesn't matter if you learn from people you've never met on forums such as this or from conversations face to face. If you "desire" to learn, you will learn.

 

[thistlebloom]

If you "desire" to learn, you will learn.

Yep. Like my husband says, you're only as dumb as you want to be.

 

[NwMtGardener]

Good topic baymule!

As i dont have kids or grandkids, i'm in a little bit different situation from some of you guys. I've been gardening on and off for most of my life, and just the past few years...maybe 3 - 5, i've noticed many more people my age (mid 30s) getting in to backyard gardening and flocks. So i guess from my perspective, there are a lot of people out there interested in learning. For me with friends my age, its like on TEG: not so much mentoring as a sharing of experiences, and sharing of plants and seeds.

 

[joz]

My best friend just started a raised veggie garden this year. She's not asking much in the way of questions yet, but she will be. She's very proud of her box of dirt, and the wee plants she's got coming up from seed. I think she's going to have problems soon though. Or maybe not... she has quite the charmed life. Grow lights? Compost? Adequate sun? She needs none of these.
She's an artist (and also writer, now) by trade: www.marrusart.com

My other best friend has cordoned off a couple of slightly raised beds in her yard, and just tosses plants in and goes. I read books, she refuses to do so (she teaches English Lit for a living, and wants to do SOMETHING that doesn't require reading). So we talk about it, but she's more successful than I am. Her 3-year-old son goes to a school that she'd selected due to the large organic teaching garden. Between the two of us and school he'll be heavily mentored in growing things.

Otherwise... no. I do like to teach, but I'm not so good at gardening yet that I volunteer information when I'm not close to people. If I see you on a horse or on rollerskates, tho, I can't keep my mouth shut.

 

[baymule]

Just thought I'd revive this thread. I had told a young neighbor lady that when a local grocery store ran corn on sale, I would teach her how to put up cream corn. Well, yesterday was the day. She brought over 68 ears of corn. I showed her how to chop both ends and shuck and silk the corn. We each had a cutting board and a heavy cleaver. We knocked it out in no time and the hens got all the shucks.

Then we moved inside with our corn operation. I showed her how to wash the corn and she got busy. I got out the blanching pot, explaining to her the how and why's of blanching. We got all the corn blanched and cooled, then moved operations to the big dining table.

I spread newspapers over the table to make clean up easier, explaining to her how dried corn splatters dry to concrete-like hard nubs that are difficult to scrub off. We cut corn, scraped cobs and talked and laughed and had a good time.

She mentioned that it would be enough for both of us and I smiled at her, telling her that no, it would go home with her for her family. Her eyes widened, it was difficult for her to believe that I would put all that work in something for nothing. I told her "Older women taught me. Older women, friends and neighbors, taught me. Now I'm teaching you. You have learned how to make cream corn and you will know how to provide good food for your family all your life."

We put 3 cups of cream corn in each zip loc bag and she took home 19 bags for the freezer. She was thrilled. But you know what? I got a whole lot more out of that than she did.

 

[Smart Red]

Good for you, @baymule! That's the way it was most always done in the past. I learned a bit from watching Mom and Aunt Claris. I shared the work with DIL who had never canned, but learned to freeze with her Grandma and Mom.

And once I invited a stranger (she asked on FreeCycle) over to teach her how to knit. We spent a couple of hours three days a week for three weeks together after meeting at a local restaurant the first time. It was fun. Something I was never able to do with my daughter who seems to dislike all crafty endeavors. Whenever a 'Grand' needed or wanted to make something it was sent to Grandma's house to be made.

 

[journey11]

That's awesome, Bay. I wish you were my neighbor! I'd never even had creamed corn until this past winter and I learned how to make it from the internet. Although my parents had a big garden and canned and put up things when I was very young, we were never included in the process and after my parents divorced all that ceased to be. (My Dad did teach me a lot about foraging and fishing though.) If it weren't for the internet and library books, I wouldn't know how to do ANYTHING that I now know and enjoy so much. I was just pondering the other day how much I'd like to take the Master Gardeners course this Fall when they offer it again, so I can help in the community and I also want to put my DD6 into 4-H Cloverbuds this year and someday be a group leader and work with the kids. Now that DD2 is getting a little bigger, I'm getting optimistic that I can manage to participate in a few more things.

DD6 works alongside me on so many things, especially in the garden, and I am really looking forward to her being able to help me with canning someday too. Maybe one day I can even teach her how to dissect a chicken.

 

[Wishin']

We love to teach people here. It is the number one reason I love to farm. The best feeling in the world is when a customer, neighbor, or friend asks you questions and next thing you know they are over a couple times a month and eagerly learning all you are capably of teaching. My favorite customers are the ones that "ask to many questions"
Yesterday we had a friend who we met as a customer over, she started out with buying her first chickens from us about a year ago. A few weeks ago we helped her find a goat, and we spent the day teaching her how to milk, do fecals, treat for mites(she came with them) check her health, and handle her. We have already helped them put up appropriate fencing, and advised them on shelters.

 

[catjac1975]

My three grandsons love helping in the garden. I hope they still like it when they are old enough to really help. The 17 month old grabs my seed catalogs and sits down with me and points out his favorites. He seems to get particularly excited when he sees DAYLILIES!!!
Hahahahahahaha,

 

[Lavender2]

I just sent a link to the gardening section of the U of M website and a link to TEG!, to a friend at DH's work. His friend was so excited to start a garden with his daughter and started green beans, cucs, corn, etc...in pots, in Feb. THEN he started talking to DH about vegetable gardening. This morning DH took him 6 tomato, and 4 pepper plants I had started, and some garlic chives from my garden. He asked for exact instructions, to which I included MUCH encouragement! He plans to come over during Memorial weekend for more encouragement.

My kids LOVED to help in the garden when they were young, but were a bit less thrilled as they got older. I'm very impressed with their own gardens now, and excited to know they were actually paying attention.
And my sons have not given up on teaching me how to cook!