First Garden Kit Ideas

[AMKuska]

My son's best friend is moving about 30 minutes away (We'll still be able to visit as often as we did before, so it's not sad.) Their new house has a lot of space to garden, and already comes with raised garden beds. Since he is over fairly often, I have gotten to hear all about his likes and interests, and gardening has been a big dream of his.

I'd like to get him started with some seeds, but I'd like to include a few other things to help him get his hands in the dirt. If you were a teenage kid about to start off on your first garden, what would you want?

 

[flowerbug]

does he like to read? a library card. at home for me it was a large Readers Digest book that we owned of gardening when i was a kid, but also included sections on house plants and propagation techniques. i spent many hours reading through that.

https://i.etsystatic.com/19890519/r/il/1ae30c/2845317208/il_fullxfull.2845317208_rlt5.jpg

aside from that your son's friendship and companionship will be the most valuable thing he can ever have. teenage years can get so crazy.

ok, what else? a hand trowel, some utility scissors, a few buckets, some good gloves that fit, a hat and long sleeved shirts from the budget store.

someone willing to listen.

 

[digitS']

Raised Beds? The height of a kitchen counter or the size one can step in and out of where the separation of paths from garden soil is the primary purpose?

Cultivation may be important and a spade was a primary tool for me as a young gardener. I practiced double digging where I had less-rocky soil and less space than currently. More recently, although true through many seasons since double digging was done in alternate years or once every 3years, a spading fork became an important tool.

A 4-prong cultivator for prepping soil surface is useful. It can be used to create furrows for sowing and be used for weeding.

Trays and inserts are of great benefit for starting young plants. Pots of various sizes are useful, particularly those of a size and shape that fit the trays. These are needed only for starting plants that will be transplanted or grown in containers through the season, of course.

A watering wand is useful. Of course, A young person can find activities other than gardening for this tool . BTW -- for even olde people, when needing to be outdoors on a hot day for a lengthy period of time, strapping a watering wand to a post and setting it on mist at an upwind location adds a great deal to one's comfort and mood .

Steve

 

[Phaedra]

A sharpener, I just got my Sharpal All-in-1 Garden Tools Sharpener.

Maybe some useful website and forum like TEG - can be printed as QR codes.

 

[AMKuska]

These are great suggestions! I'll put all the seed packets, trowel and such in a bucket so I know he has at least one.

 

[Dahlia]

My son's best friend is moving about 30 minutes away (We'll still be able to visit as often as we did before, so it's not sad.) Their new house has a lot of space to garden, and already comes with raised garden beds. Since he is over fairly often, I have gotten to hear all about his likes and interests, and gardening has been a big dream of his.

I'd like to get him started with some seeds, but I'd like to include a few other things to help him get his hands in the dirt. If you were a teenage kid about to start off on your first garden, what would you want?

I would want seeds of my favorite vegetables and garden markers, a hand shovel, a big shovel, a rake, a hoe, and an automatic drip system! I'm not demanding at all!

 

[Blueberry Acres]

Definitely a quality pair of gardening gloves, and maybe a gardening book or a subscription to a gardening magazine?

 

[Blueberry Acres]

Also a gift card to a nursery so he can get some already started plants.

 

[AMKuska]

I forgot the bucket, but did give his mom the link to TEG. I hope he'll join and get to meet all of you.

 

[ducks4you]

A spade, a wheelbarrow, GOOD leather gardening gloves with length for wrists.