Gardening with Children

Many adult gardeners feel a great sense of physical and mental well-being that comes with working in harmony with nature. Talk to adult gardeners and many of them will still have fond memories of their first gardening experiences as children that planted the seed, and how the time spent gardening stimulated their imagination and enriched many areas of their lives.

Children learn by watching, so it is important for the adult to explain what he or she is doing and why, but to avoid too much talking. Children like to experience things tactilely through touch and, it is the process that is exciting, not always the final product. Avoid being critical, and keep it active and fun. Kids love to be involved in digging, planting and getting dirty in the garden.

The following garden ideas can help to personalize the garden section and give kids the opportunity to mix arts and crafts with gardening fun:

Defining the Garden Space

Separate the space with a border of small river rocks. Children can have fun painting these rocks with an exterior water based paint and placing them to make a border. Alternatively, wooden stakes or small sections of wood can be used to frame the garden, and children can paint designs on the wood before installing.

Kid’s Gardening Tools

Purchase some good quality children’s garden tools, rather than plastic outdoor play toys that are less functional. Children can use permanent markers to personalize their tools, and select a special storage place for them. Teach responsibility by helping children to wash their tools and place them in the designated storage area after each gardening session.

Garden Labels and Names

Children love seeing their names and the names of other family members, and there are many fun ways to incorporate them into the garden. Small rocks can be used to spell out names, or better yet, small flowers or ground covers can be planted to form the letters of names. A large nail can be used to scratch names and designs in young pumpkins, ornamental gourds or squash. Harvest most squash when small for eating, but allow a few to stay on the vine and get huge. Children love large fast growing plants.

Integrate Raised Beds into the Children’s Garden

Raised beds work nicely for a part of the children’s garden. Leave other spaces open for projects requiring more space and consider a nice all weather picnic table in a shady spot. Raised beds have the advantage of providing premium soil without the long term process of cultivating existing soil. They also provide an area for plants that will not be compacted by children’s active feet as they explore the garden.

Garden Planning and Plant Selection

Involve children in planning the garden space and selecting plants. Suggest some large fast growing plants like sunflowers, squash, pumpkins and gourds. Select plants with large seeds that are easily handled by children. Peas, beans and flowers like nasturtiums are good choices. Allow children to pick out and plant some annual color from the nursery to add some instant color to the garden.

Keep things interesting by planting varieties that have unusually shaped or colored fruit. Zephyr squash is half green and half yellow, eight ball squash is small and round like an eight ball, kaleidoscope carrots come in a variety of colors or how about blue potatoes, purple broccoli or yellow cucumbers. Include some plants that will attract butterfly, humming birds and such, like Asters, Butterfly bushes, Hollyhocks, Shasta daisy, Sunflowers, Daylilies, French Marigolds, Thyme, Zinnias, Bee balms and Mints.

Create Hiding Places in the Child’s Garden

A garden hiding place can be more fun than an outdoor playhouse. Make teepees with bamboo poles and plant them with easy fast climbers like morning glory or scarlet runner beans. Be sure to leave a door for children to enter. A sunflower house can also be great fun. Plant giant sunflowers like Russian mammoth in a square pattern with a small space for exploring and play in the middle.

Incorporate Interesting Smells in the Children’s Garden

Children’s sense of smell is very powerful. Mint of and other herbs of various kinds grow quickly, and add a nice fragrance. Plant invasive herbs like mint in containers and burry those to keep it from encroaching on other plants. Have the kids harvest a couple of handfuls of mint leaves, place them in a tea jar with water and let it stand in the sun for a few hours. Add a little honey to sweeten and have a tea party.

Use Hay in the Children’s Garden

Stop by your local feed store and get a bale of hay. It is inexpensive and comes in handy in any garden and especially a child’s garden. Use the hay to line walkways and areas that tend to get muddy. Use hay for soft bedding inside sunflower houses or bean teepees. Hay can be added to beds along with other mulches, and children love to spread these by hand around their plants. Help children make a scare crow or two by stuffing old clothes with hay and fastening to a garden post.

References

Building a Garden for Kids Website Accessed August, 8 2010

Gardening with Children Website Accessed August, 8 2010

Gardening with Children Website Accessed August, 8 2010

My First Garden Website Accessed August, 8 2010