Gardening with Kids
Someone suggested this as a topic (since Kate will be dealing with it soon). I wish I had some input. My editor's letter is usually devoted to how I can't garden the way I want because I have to keep an eye on toddlers.
How I long for the days when I could wake up, throw on a hat, and head into the garden for a few hours of work/play.
That said, I would rather play with my kids than deadhead. If only I could do both.
--Steve Aitken, Editor, Fine Gardening
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Since at least half my yard
Since at least half my yard is edible, I've been thinking lately about out how to keep the baby from dining on random plants as he gets older. You can't exactly reason with a toddler and it's surprising how many common plants are poisonous. And yeah, I'll have my eyes on him at all times but everyone knows how fast toddlers are. Does anyone have suggestions?
I've done this x3, though I
I've done this x3, though I don't hold a candle to Nanook who I think has 5. The Pack and Play was invaluable, and the baby monitor remote, especially when I learned that every sound doesn't require an immediate response. I also recommend a back pack when he/she is old enough to support his/her own head. I hauled all of mine right along to every plant sale or exhibit in that thing and developed really strong quads from all that up and down checking plant tags. Works great as long as you remember to keep your back straight and until they learn to stick their fingers in your ears. And if you accidentally leave a purchase behind at a nursery, they will remember you vividly when you call back. When they got older I would bribe them by letting them pick out a plant of their own, though it takes skillful subterfuge to make sure it's one you're going to want if they forget about it the next day.
The only plants I excluded from the garden when my kids were little were things with very sharp spikes and Aconitum. We learned the one finger rule and they were satisfied with that. They could touch anything with one finger so they felt that nothing was really off limits.
North Carolina - zone 7
And if you accidentally leave
And if you accidentally leave a purchase behind at a nursery, they will remember you vividly when you call back.
^^^ This made me laugh out loud... I can believe it.
Maybe I just need to make a habit of not eating anything straight off the plant, ever. That's my biggest fear, that the baby will see me eating nasturtiums while I'm gardening and decide to eat something poisonous. Ah, this will be a lifestyle change for sure.
Kate, our grandchildren
Kate, our grandchildren enjoyed helping me garden. We didn't have this space when they were tiny but when they were five and six or so they loved helping to pick vegetables and blueberries (most of them went into the mouth, not the pot). They also learned, a little later on, to identify some weeds since I generally made a commotion when I saw them.
Good luck with your small gardener-in-training.
Northern Virginia, Zone 7A.
Ah, I remember those days.
Ah, I remember those days. Steve, sometimes it's more a matter of gardening around kids than gardening with kids. Think of it as parallel play. Everyone's outside and doing something. Just be prepared to drop the pruning shears at a moment's notice to deal with a skinned knee.
If the kids show an interest, you could designate part of a bed as theirs (one section for each child, of course) and plant something with a high likelihood of success and relatively quick growing time. Bean tipis are fun, too.
www.vegetablegardener.com
Buy a wagon. If possible, one
Buy a wagon. If possible, one with a trailer.
When you go to garden centres, they won't let kids sit in their wagons but will rarely give you heck for putting the kid in your own.
When you first arrive go to the annuals table, pick out a single Pansy or Petunia and talk about how beautiful it is with your child. tell them it is their express duty not to let the plant fall over, and not to let it get hurt.
Now browse at ease. Your child will be so busy caring for the petunia that they won't touch anything else. $0.69 is a cheap price for baby sitting.
Also, leave the kid in the trailer at the beginning and put your purchases in the wagon. Once the wagon is filled, carry the kid. If you start out carrying your child you will tire much more quickly, and might not make it to the far reaches of the nursery where the best stuff is.
Once its time to get in the car, put the kid in their seat, and see if you can get a hand with lifting the full wagon into the car to avoid having to move the plants out of it. Do the same in reverse when you get home.
If it can die, I can kill it.
Certified Brown Thumb, 4th degree
Nice plan. I kinda trained
Nice plan. I kinda trained our pitbull in the gardens the same way. Pick a rose and smell it, talking to her how lovely it smells and how pretty it is. She smells it and smiles at me. Now she walks with me in the gardens smelling and smiling. Love it!
I compared my dog with a
I compared my dog with a child because I never had children. She is our 10 yr. old baby.
Good subject. I used little
Good subject. I used little fences around my gardens so they knew where to avoid. I had many paths for them to use. I never had them deadhead, if they wanted to dig with me they were welcome. They enjoyed putting the seeds in the ground for the vegetables and it was great for them to see cause and effect. We still pull peas off the vine and walk around eating them. My kids are now teenagers and have started developing an interest. For me it is fun to see.
That sounds like your kids
That sounds like your kids have a great connection with you. Gardeners are nurturing people aren't we!
How are Kate and the baby
How are Kate and the baby doing?
Last I heard, they were doing
Last I heard, they were doing fine. She has her priorities straight: taking care of and enjoying time with her son and husband is more important than checking in with me.
I'm sure she appreciates your interest.
Haha, that is good. No that
Haha, that is good. No that is great news.
If you do talk to Kate at
If you do talk to Kate at some point, give her our congratulations.
North Carolina - zone 7
Will do. By the way, it was a
Will do.
By the way, it was a boy. James Allen Frank. I don't remember the size, but I think he was big.
Be sure to send her our
Be sure to send her our congrats!! I hope she gets nothing but happiness from her new baby!
If it can die, I can kill it.
Certified Brown Thumb, 4th degree
Wishing happiness and rest
Wishing happiness and rest for Mother and sweet child, and Father too.
On another note, around here there is small but ambitious group of new organic gardeners finding garden spaces that are appropriate, they are officially allowed in town. Some are just toddlers but they do their share too, quite amazing.
I just started a Master
I just started a Master Gardeners course and when asked to choose a topic for presentation soon, I chose Children and Gardening. I have 3 small grandkids(5,3, and 1 month). I began planning before they were born--I planted 2 shade trees(Maples because they are quick growing) and 2 climbing trees(tulip poplar for sturdiness and flowers and bee food). The shade trees are spaced such that a play structure will fit between them.
In the flower garden, I removed all thorny plants and any that I knew were really poisonous. I added a sandbox and an umbrella to a central spot so they could play while I worked--a pack and play was used when they were smaller. As soon as they could walk I let them pick flowers, smell flowers, float flowers in their water table, plant picked flowers in the sand box, etc. It is important to let them love the flowers and have fun--don't hoard your blooms. It is easy to give them limits as they get older. Watering cans(small) and cups are necessary as is a bathing suit on warm days so they can water your plants and they will get wet! A birdhouse on a pole is a great addition in spring--we watch the bluebirds as they build and hatch and grow their babies.
A birdbath brings in lots of birds and a quiet bench is a good place to watch in the evening. Plants like rudbeckia offer food for bees, butterflies, and later seeds for goldfinches. A bird identification book and an insect book are great additions for your gardening cart. Even very young kids love insects and birds.
I grow many fruits and veggies and herbs. When I pick, the kids go along with their own baskets as we harvest. There is lots to touch, smell, and taste. Kids this young need constant supervision so keep the hard work for later--the purpose is to get out the house with them and have fun and enjoy your family and your garden--it's worth the effort to teach them what you love. Vikibee in zone 7 NC