Summer Activities: Garden With Your Child

My grandfather had a garden when I was growing up, and I remember how different the vegetables taste from the store brought veggies.  With that in mind, I planted a vegetable garden.  My father was an avid flower gardener, so it's in my blood. 

I decided to involve my grandson when he was little.  He lives near the beach, so backyard gardening isn't a common theme in that area. When he visits in the summer he helps me with my garden.  He enjoys playing in the dirt and watering Mawmaw's plants, but most importantly he is learning about growing vegetables and flowers.  It's a great way to get him outside and moving.  

He loves it so much when he hears the back door open, he is on my heels.  In the photo above, he's picking peppers.  Hot peppers are big in my family, we love them on everything.  Xavier loves hot peppers on his nachos, he's a kid after his grandmother's heart.  I pickle hot peppers, so we have a fresh supply all year and freeze Belle peppers for cooking. 

He's learning the importance of watering the plants, weeding and waiting to reap the benefit.  How do you like his garden boots?  They're Disney cars.  He loves splashing in the water after he makes puddles in the yard.  I can't say that he's learned to love everything he's nurturing in the vegetable garden, but he's having fun helping everything grow.  

My grandchildren do love carrots, corn, cucumbers and tomatoes.  I use them in pasta salads, and the tomatoes for sauce for spaghetti and pizza which they both love.  I also can tomatoes for chili and soup in the winter.  Yum!  
   

I'm a petunia lover too, so I make sure they're the star on my deck in the summer.  Xavier was 2 when I started involving him in my gardening.  I thought I would share this picture of him sucking his binky and watering my plants.  (How we got rid of that is another story).  I purchased a little watering can, rake and shovel for him too. I didn't think he would remember watering the plants, but each summer he looks forward to it. I plan to involve Zarriah in the gardening this year now that she's 2.   

Gardening doesn't have to be expensive.  I start most of my vegetables and flowers from seed that I save. Those that aren't started from seed, I purchase off the clearance rack at Walmart or Lowes.  The planter above is filled with Walmart clearance items. I purchased the planter from the Dollar Store.  If you don't have a yard, use your balcony or patio to grow a few plants and get your child involved.  Better yet, let them plant a few flowers or vegetables of their own.  It teaches them responsibility and also gets them involved in nature. Try a perennial, they come back each year.  

When you expose children to different experiences, they will be open to different cultures, music, foods and other experiences as an adults.  Their formative years are in our hands.  They may not model everything that we do in their adult years, but they will have the memories and experience. You can't place a price tag on that.