Family Garden Club
The Field Trip Newsletter #5
I can’t believe we are already four days into March, and it’s already time to start getting our spring gardens ready. We haven’t had a ton of luck with a garden in the past, mainly because of time and cats. I was busy working in my gift shop most days, and caring for a garden was the last thing I had time to add to my to-do list. Then just when I couldn’t miss out anymore and put a garden together, the cats wouldn’t stay out of it, making it their litter box. I’ve since learned to put pinecones down in the soil to deter the cats. I opted for just blueberries, raspberries, rosemary, blackberries, and mint in my yard, giving up most of my hopes for the garden of my dreams. Those have all grown really, really well the last eight years, (minus the blackberries that accidentally met a weed eater and lost the fight). Then came the pandemic and lots of time at home. It made me realize that I have more time for a garden with a little prep work and consistency than I once imagined.
*(Our blueberries at the beginning of summer last year.)
We spent last spring planting seeds on our deck, slowly getting our feet wet. I saw a new love of gardening in my son too. Each day he would go outside and watch for the growth and progress of each plant. He’d water them and even talk to our plants every day. We grew tomatoes, lots of herbs, grapefruit, peppers, kale, and lettuce. I saved the pits from the end-of-summer peaches, stored them away in the freezer to plant this year, clipped a wild blackberry bush from a field in our town, that I have been keeping alive on my windowsill since last August, and I stocked up on seeds last year to expand to the yard this year.
I don’t think I’ll have the garden that I dream of any time soon, but at least our family will be getting outside this spring to explore in the dirt together. We try not to put a lot of pressure on ourselves to make it something it’s not. We don’t have a huge yard, so we will work with what we have.
Tips For Getting Children Excited to Garden:
Involve them in the planning from the beginning. Measure your space and then sit down with them and sketch what you will plant where. Teach them about your garden zone and how the sun comes into deciding the placement of your garden.
Plant what they will eat. It’s no fun to grow something that your child refuses to eat.
Let your children have their own little section to care for. This might mean their own plot or a row in the family plot. Teaching this responsibility early on is a great way to instill a love of gardening.
Be consistent. Work in the yard together regularly to help them form a routine.
Start indoors. Allow children to grow seeds inside, talking with them about the science of it all.
If you are short on space or know-how, join a community garden. Learn from the people that have been gardening there for a long time. Ask questions. Write down your child’s questions in a gardening notebook. I like to use little Field Notes notebooks for this purpose. My son has his own little notebook to write down and plan in, all in one spot.
Visit local farms, ask for advice at the farmer’s market or any friend you might have that’s great at gardening for your zone's tips. Each zone is so different, and readers from all over the world are part of this community, so I want to keep that part broad.
Keep a weekly chart of what needs to be done when, such as planting, watering, weeding, and harvesting, so that children know what’s coming when. Children thrive on routine and structure, so this idea falls right in line with their needs. Let them help draw the fruits and vegetables on the chart, keeping them involved with every garden aspect.
Make plant markers together. Use anything that you want, as long as you know what is where. You can use little flags, popsicle sticks, painted rocks, clothespins, sticks, etc… Whatever you would like, really.
Best Seeds For Quick Results and a Few Meal Ideas:
Lettuce (yummy salads)
Spinach (delicious in smoothies)
Arugula (great on homemade pizza)
Summer squash (roasted with just a little olive oil, salt, and pepper)
Bush Beans (added to homemade veggie sushi)
Microgreens (add to a baked potato)
English Peas (great added to macaroni and cheese)
*I found the above veggie list idea found here but added the meal ideas myself.
Make A Garden Fort:
What child does not love a fort? They all do. Here’s how to make a simple bean pole tent. Once it starts taking shape, you won’t be able to keep them out of the garden.
Supplies:
Snap peas, sweet peas, runner beans, etc., will work for this idea. Anything that grows on a vine, really. You could even use flowering vines if you don’t want to do something that produces a vegetable. Something that attracts butterflies would be great for children.
Nine large branches or bamboo poles, long enough for your children to stand up in.
Wire or twine.
Directions:
Space the tent into three sections; two leaning on one another to form an A at three different intervals, like an old camping pup tent. Lay a pole across the top of the three A’s. Attach with twine or wire to connect. Attach two more perpendicular to the front and back to support the A in the front and the A in the back. Make sure all the poles are firmly planted at least three inches into the ground.
Weave twine through all the poles on both sides.
Plant 4-6 seeds at the base of each pole.
Good luck!! At least if nothing grows, you could weave some green branch clippings through the A’s and still have a fun fort.
Resources:
*I should note, I do make a little money from these book links. I welcome whatever route you take. I always think you should support your local, independent bookstore first, but I also thank you if you decide to purchase a selection from one of my lists. This is just a way to share my book ideas with you from one place.
A Small List of People To Follow:
Thanks for reading Field Trip and being part of this community! As always, please tell your friends and family about this community. The best way to grow an active community is by inviting more and more people into the fold. I do value your time, so the free version of this newsletter only shows up once a month and is hardly going to pack your inbox.
For those monthly subscribers, I’ll see you next week! I am working on setting up a great line-up of zoom conversations that I plan to start in the next month. I have some great people already lined up. If you’d like to be a paid subscriber and receive the weekly newsletter, just head to the subscribe button to get set up. Remember to tag me in posts that you create from here to reshare them on social media. Have a great week! - Erin