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Gardening for Kids
Judy Williams

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Gardening for Kids

Judy Williams

Children are continually bombarded with advertising for fast food and unhealthy treats. One of the most important lessons you can teach them is how to tend and grow their own food from the garden.

There are plenty of quick and easy projects that the children can get involved in. The projects will teach them about nutrition, nature, recycling and organic gardening. That's a good outcome!

The no dig garden is a particularly good project for children because the garden can be built and planted in just a couple of hours. You do not have to prepare the garden for weeks in advance, as with other growing methods. There are detailed instructions for building a no dig garden on my website (www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com). If a full on garden seems too ambitious at the start, try something simpler.

Growing bean shoots is the quickest way to grow edible things. In just a few days, the kids will be able to pop fresh bean shoots in a salad or sandwich or just eat them as they come. This will also work with alfalfa, cress and snow pea seeds. Put the seeds into a clean, wide mouth jar and place a mesh material over the mouth. It must be a material that water and air can pass through, but not the seeds. A bit of discarded pantyhose secured with a rubber band will do. Soak the seeds overnight in water. Next morning, drain the excess water and place the jar on its side in a bright room, near a window. A couple of times a day, re-wet the seeds, drain and return to the bright space. The seeds will sprout and grow very quickly and within a few days will be ready to eat.

To propagate your own garden seedlings build this portable greenhouse! Wash a 2Lt plastic bottle (soft drink or soda water type) and using a knife or sharp scissors, cut it in half along one side. Force it open and fill one side with good quality potting mix. Plant your seeds and water gently. A very light mixture of water and liquid fertilizer will kick start the seeds. Close the bottle back up and seal with tape. Place the bottle in a sunny position. Your seedlings should be well on their way and ready for repotting in 2-4 weeks.

Do you know very young children? Introduce them to Hairy Harry! Take one of those pairless socks every household has and sew on some eyes and other facial features. Put some lawn seed in the sock end and fill with garden soil, potting mix or compost. Fill the sock until the face is filled out and tie a knot in the sock, making sure the mix inside is packed tightly. Water the sock regularly, or prop it on top of a container with water. The loose end of the sock will act as a wick to draw up the moisture. Place in a sunny position. In a couple of days, Harry will have a full head of green hair! In a couple of weeks, he will be ready for a hair cut or styling makeover!

Children love eating things fresh from a garden. For convenience, you might want to plant close to the kitchen where the children can harvest items under your watchful eye. So consider doing quick growing plants in containers. Cress, radishes and lettuce will be ready the quickest in 6-8 weeks. Next in line are dwarf beans, cucumber, cabbage, tomatoes and onion which will be ready in 8-12 weeks. Most others, including the popular carrots and potatoes will need 16-20 weeks to mature. You could be harvesting from this little garden for months!

Encourage your children to nurture their little garden, which ever project you choose. It's a great way to teach them practical skills and fill them forever with the wonder of nature.

About the Author

Judy Williams (www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com) aspires to become a fulltime earth mother goddess. This site acts as a primer for all vegetable gardening aspects covering topics like how to build a garden, nurture seedlings, container gardening and composting.

Greenhouse News and Events

Lean To Greenhouses News

	Greenhouse representatives to gather public feedback Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:34:15 -0800 A greenhouse developer will meet with Lower Makefield residents twice over the next week to discuss potential sites for a greenhouse in the township.
	Disclosing greenhouse gas emissions boosts business, study finds Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:42:06 -0800 Researchers have found that companies that disclose greenhouse gas emissions enjoy an immediate rise in stock value.
	Report: Power plants are top greenhouse gas polluters Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:09:33 -0800 Power plants throughout eastern Massachusetts are the largest industrial sources of greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change in the state, according to new data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
	EPA identifies major sources of greenhouse gases in Mass. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:15:08 -0800 Power plants throughout eastern Massachusetts are the largest industrial sources of greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change in the state, according to new data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
	Greenhouse proposal draws mixed feedback Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:44:54 -0800 A proposed greenhouse on about 2 acres of Patterson Farm would be situated near Historic Edgewood Village, according to a presentation Wednesday night at the Lower Makefield supervisors meeting.
	Bright Farms proposes Patterson Farm greenhouse to produce locally grown food, produce Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:36:42 -0800 LOWER MAKEFIELD – The business of farming is one of America’s oldest forms of production and a mainstay in Lower Makefield. Yet, its local appeal is sometimes threatened by multi-national companies that ship produce long distances.
	Greenhouse grows on kids Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:18:01 -0800 For a group of local school girls, a sweet radish salad, tossed with apples and lemon, was the unlikely harvest...
	Big greenhouse sprouting up at Cove High Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:09:06 -0800 COVE — Growing tomatoes and lettuce during the winter at Cove High School will soon be almost as easy as taking a dip in the community's popular warm springs pool.
	China Greenhouse Gas Emissions Set to Rise Well Past U.S. Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:49:04 -0800 By 2015, China will emit nearly 50 percent more greenhouse gases than the United States, a top Chinese energy researcher said yesterday. [More]
	Supervisors consider greenhouse on Patterson Farm site Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:15:00 -0800 Keeping it local will be the theme Wednesday night when the Lower Makefield supervisors consider allowing a greenhouse to be built on part of Patterson Farm, the board chairman said.