journey11
Garden Master
I vividly remember the fun of caring for my own little patch of garden as a kid. There were 3 of us and my mom gave us each a 3'x3' section of the garden to do with as we wished. Sometimes she would order these little seed packs made just for kids - they had "mystery" assortments of all kinds of things. I remember being very jealous of my brother one year because his grew a pumkin and the best thing I had to boast of was borage. 
I definitely want that for my daughter (and any other kids we may have). I know how it shaped me into the adult I am today. Those fond memories led to many of the things I value and enjoy doing today...gardening, flowers, strawberries, bees, mushroom hunting, chickens...heck, just about all of it.
For my daughter, I like to let her help with the big garden (no matter how particular I may want it done.) Give her a little something to do, she may tire out of it after a little bit and go play or she just may prove herself to be a good helper! I try to NEVER NAG, but guide her along gently...or otherwise just not worry too much about it. Last year I had clumps of yellow summer squash pop up in unexpected places because after I was done with what I wanted, I turned her loose with the rest of the packet. She knew which ones were hers and she enjoyed eating them too!
Oh, whole other aspect - just how much this gardening exposure turns them on to eating their veggies.
Here she is helping me plant onions last week. She did a great job too! She was very careful to set them right side up like I showed her.
Planted specifically for her would be the everbearing strawberry patch I have out front (near her play area.) I use the junebearers for my canning and such. The everbearers are just for munching. My elderly neighbor really enjoys watching her pick and eat her strawberries. I also have a thornless blackberry patch that I've pretty much turned over to her to munch on. We go on big expeditions to pick wild blackberries for canning and freezing, which has turned out to be more practical for me. Also I like to plant sweet 100 cherry tomatoes for her to munch on while she's out playing. Occasionally I might grab a few to toss on a salad, but they are mostly for her.
This year I am planting warty pumpkins I got from Baker Creek. They're going to be for decoration, but she will get a lot of enjoyment out of those too.
She likes to pick my flowers, but there's definitely enough to go around!
I think this is a great thread too. Draw them in and let them explore the garden and dig in the dirt. When they're little, you want to make it as fun as possible, get 'em hooked - because eventually you'll have to draft them to help when they're older!
I definitely want that for my daughter (and any other kids we may have). I know how it shaped me into the adult I am today. Those fond memories led to many of the things I value and enjoy doing today...gardening, flowers, strawberries, bees, mushroom hunting, chickens...heck, just about all of it.
For my daughter, I like to let her help with the big garden (no matter how particular I may want it done.) Give her a little something to do, she may tire out of it after a little bit and go play or she just may prove herself to be a good helper! I try to NEVER NAG, but guide her along gently...or otherwise just not worry too much about it. Last year I had clumps of yellow summer squash pop up in unexpected places because after I was done with what I wanted, I turned her loose with the rest of the packet. She knew which ones were hers and she enjoyed eating them too!
Oh, whole other aspect - just how much this gardening exposure turns them on to eating their veggies.
Here she is helping me plant onions last week. She did a great job too! She was very careful to set them right side up like I showed her.
Planted specifically for her would be the everbearing strawberry patch I have out front (near her play area.) I use the junebearers for my canning and such. The everbearers are just for munching. My elderly neighbor really enjoys watching her pick and eat her strawberries. I also have a thornless blackberry patch that I've pretty much turned over to her to munch on. We go on big expeditions to pick wild blackberries for canning and freezing, which has turned out to be more practical for me. Also I like to plant sweet 100 cherry tomatoes for her to munch on while she's out playing. Occasionally I might grab a few to toss on a salad, but they are mostly for her.
This year I am planting warty pumpkins I got from Baker Creek. They're going to be for decoration, but she will get a lot of enjoyment out of those too.
She likes to pick my flowers, but there's definitely enough to go around!
I think this is a great thread too. Draw them in and let them explore the garden and dig in the dirt. When they're little, you want to make it as fun as possible, get 'em hooked - because eventually you'll have to draft them to help when they're older!
