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Build A Garden Of Memories With Your Kids
by Dominic Weidman
http://www.iamgardening.com

This is not your typical how-to article. I'm not going to
share with you a step-by-step tutorial on which plants work
best for kids, or how to line up the rows so little feet
don't trample the plants. There are hundreds of other places
that you can find those tips.

By bringing your children into the garden, you'll be
starting them on a lifelong love of nature and helping
things grow. Gardening is full of 'teachable moments'. The
slow pace of working the earth invites conversation and
introspection, and offers opportunities for imparting your
beliefs and philosophies and knowledge in a natural, matter-
of-fact way that will do far more than all the lectures in
the world.

As winter draws to a close, rummage around in your garden
closet - you know, the one where you keep your tools and
your supplies. Bring out the seeds and beans you saved at
the end of last year, the ones that you wrapped in brown
paper bags and parcel string so they'd be ready for this
year's planting. As you sort and study them, as you prepare
for planting, have the patience to let little fingers
fumble. Take the time to show little eyes how to tell a a
runner bean seed from a string bean seed. Remind them which
ones were the blue flowers and which were the tomatoes. They
will absorb your enthusiasm and love for the process, and a
great deal of knowledge you don't even know you're giving
them.

It was an accidental beginning to my community gardening
adventures. By the end of that day, the dirty, rubble-choked
lot boasted three separate gardens, each bordered with hand
built rock walls. By summer's end, the 'hood had melded into
a community, and the garden was thriving. In the process, I
learned some important how-tos about gardening with kids.

On a spring afternoon, when they get home from school, be
out in the garden with spade and pitchfork. Pick out a patch
of ground with a 5 year old and help him mark it off with
twigs and string. Give your two year old a plastic shovel
and a corner of his own to dig. Ignore the dirt. The nice
thing about kids is - they wash up pretty.

Give them a patch of their own. Kids love having their own
space, and gardening is no exception. You'll be surprised
how seriously they take the responsibility of tending their
own little plot.

Limit their choices to what's reasonable. By all means, let
them dream, but when it's time to buy the seeds and plants,
let your judgment prevail. Give them a choice of two or
three plants that grow easily and quickly so that they'll
see results.

Help them build a 'bean tent'. Just arrange the poles in a
teepee shape, tie the tops together, and train the bean
plants to grow up along them. By midsummer, the kids will
have a Jack in the Beanstalk house where they can hide away
from the sun.

Bean teepees are one of the most fun gardening activities
you can do. Pick a patch of sunny ground, build a teepee
with gardening stakes. Plant runner beans and morning
glories around the base of each, and as they grow, train the
vines to grow up the poles. By the middle of summer, you'll
have a shady little hideaway that your kids will love
playing in.

When you plant and garden with your kids, you share with a
love of the earth, a reverence for nature, and the seeds of
a hobby that will last a lifetime. Gardening together is a
gift that will build memories to treasure forever.

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