There are so many benefits to gardening and the earlier you can introduce it to your kids, the more likely they will develop a natural appreciation and connection with the environment. I have had my kids out in our garden since they were babies and as soon as they could walk, they were ready to dig in! First favorite tasks? ‘Weeding’ and ‘rock gardening’. For me, gardening with children starts with the parents. It is a family affair. If the parents do not garden routinely, then the kids will treat gardening and all the kid-sized tools as toys, meaning it will not last. Therefore, my tips and resources to getting started are first geared toward adults.
Fall is a good time to get ready for the spring garden. Breaking the task down into two seasons is more manageable than trying to do it all during the spring fever rush. Not to mention some plants will only bloom in the spring if you plant it in the previous fall, such as larkspur and the beautiful Texas bluebonnet.
If you’re just starting out and you are looking for a low maintenance kid-friendly space, consider a perennial and herb garden. Here are some tips:
- Have a master plan if you wish but start small (and build toward that master plan over the years.)
- Start with a low maintenance plot; use native and well-adapted plants as the garden base with room along the border and in between for annuals, seasonals, and edibles that the kids can plant and harvest.
- Install a drip irrigation system. Use a flexible layout – have 1/4″ line branch off the main 1/2″ line and attach drippers/sprayers to the ends of the 1/4″ line, not directly onto the main 1/2″ line.
- Group plants according to water and sunlight needs. If you’re using plants well adapted to your region, you will find that many have flexible needs – they will do fine with little water and sunlight but will thrive with more.
- Refer to local resources and guides as they deal with the specifics of your area’s climate
- Consider getting just a few kid-sized tools: hand tool set, shovel, rake
, wheelbarrow
. I never liked the kid-sized gloves for toddlers and preschoolers. They’re hard to put on and hard to work with. Instead, I just let them get dirty and if they want gloves, they can play with mine.
More family gardening posts coming up!
