busyGardening Time Is Family Time
Growing a garden takes time, more or less of it depending on what you grow and how much there is. Use that time to bond with your family. In spring there is soil preparation and the other work of getting ready for the growing season. Then comes planting. You might also build a compost pile. Through summer, the garden must be weeded and watered. Harvesting what you grow is the fun part! In autumn, the last of the harvest comes in and the garden is prepared for its winter rest.
Talk while you work. You can talk about the garden or anything else. Team up for big chores, such as spreading compost. Fan out for more divisible chores such as planting seeds or weeding, where several people can each work on a different row. You can all share one big garden -- but if people have a knack for growing different things, go with that. Then you can compare your respective specialties.
Children can start helping in the garden at a young age. I think I was first handed a watering can when I was two or three years old, although as a toddler I spent more time taking bites out of the plants than taking care of them! About the time they can carry a conversation and communicate their food preferences, children can help choose what to plant. (This should be a family discussion anyhow, since you're all going to eat what you grow.) Cleaning is often easier than picking; children a little past the toddler age can learn to shell peas, snap beans, shuck corn, etc. By school age, they may be able to recognize ripe things ready to be picked. Once kids can distinguish plants from weeds, they can help with weeding; age will vary a lot on this. Teenagers can build muscle and coordination by turning over the compost heap or spading the garden. This is how kids learn to love gardening and fresh healthy foods (though to be fair, it can lead to some disdain of inferior storebought produce).
Advantages of Gardening
* Homegrown food is healthier for your family. You know what goes into it -- and more importantly, what doesn't.
* You can experiment with "heirloom" varieties. These have interesting colors and shapes; their taste and texture is often superior to commercial varieties. If your relatives say they don't like vegetables, try this approach, and keep trying until something appeals.
* Also consider exploring different styles of gardening such as organic, permaculture, square foot, intensive, hydroponic, etc.
* It's okay to get dirty! You can wash off when you go indoors. Or before, with a water hose. Or start a water fight. Or a mud fight. You won't melt, really.
* Gardening gets everyone out of the house and gives good, productive exercise. You're not wasting your time or calories. You're enjoying each other's company and growing your own food.
* You can save money by raising some food instead of buying it all. Compare the cost of what you grow to similar items for sale in stores. This is good math practice for kids.
* Gardening helps to shrink your ecological footprint. Homegrown food has no packaging other than the shucks, shells, rinds, or peels -- and those go right into your compost pile, which eventually goes back onto the garden. Homegrown food also doesn't have to travel miles to reach you, and may save you a shopping trip.
* Growing your own food is fun, relaxing, and satisfying. Yes, it can be hard work, but that's okay. Work with a purpose is worthwhile, an important realization in a world of slog jobs and makework. When you're growing things to eat, you're doing something that matters.
* If you plan for it, you can produce masses of food to preserve for later use. Canning, freezing, or drying food is a terrific family project. So is making jelly, jam, fruit butter, or other sweet preserves; pickles, relishes, and other savory stuff; and juices. We used to spend lots of time in the kitchen during summers when I was young, making all kinds of stuff. My favorite thing to freeze now is homemade spaghetti sauce.
* You can learn all kinds of things in a garden: the names of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers; which insects are beneficial or harmful; how to tell if plants are healthy, and if not, what they need; the many influences of seasonal and weather changes. And patience, because nothing teaches the value and rewards of patience like gardening does.
* If you make some thoughtful choices, you can share your garden with wildlife such as butterflies and birds. A few extra parsley plants, some flowers, a spare berry bush, a birdbath -- and suddenly you have your own little nature reserve. This gives you more to observe and talk about together.
If You Don't Have Room for a Garden
Okay, not everybody has room for even a small garden patch. Here are some other ideas...
* Plant a windowbox, a container garden, or something else that doesn't require lawn space. There are things you can grow even on a patio, balcony, or sunny apartment window.
* Look for a community garden in your town. Many places have these, and you can reserve a space for your family. This gives everyone more opportunities to socialize.
* Yardshare is a way for people who have space but can't garden to connect with people who can garden but don't have space. Watch for community opportunities, network with friends, or try social networks online.
* Visit your local farmer's market. There you can talk with other gardeners and farmers, buy fresh local produce, and have about as much fun as gardening. Big farmer's markets often have family programs with fun activities such as story time or lectures by featured farmers or crafters.
* Try vicarious gardening. Read books and websites on the topic. Follow blogs or friend people on social networks so that you can enjoy the ups and downs of what's happening in their gardens. Exchange links with your family members when you find something nifty. This is a good supplement to gardening on your own, too, because then you can see what is happening in other parts of the world. Remember that your friends in the opposite hemisphere will have reversed seasons -- it's always the growing season somewhere!
Ooo ... Pictures!
Black raspberries are easy to grow. If they like where you plant them, you will have more trouble getting them to stop.
Even a dwarf cherry tree can produce more fruit than one person can pick. That's what friends and family are for.
Herbs add flavor to many recipes. This is one of my herb gardens.
This flower garden is a barrel of fun ... so much that you can barely see the barrel!
This is a patio pot of garden flowers. Actually, there are three pots together, of different sizes.
Butterflies, such as this monarch, love many kinds of flowers, including this red clover.
"Homecrafting: A Guide to Family Skills" also has a landing page where you can read more essays about family life.
June 10 2010, 18:44:13 UTC 11 years ago
June 11 2010, 09:07:46 UTC 11 years ago
Yes...
June 11 2010, 15:56:42 UTC 11 years ago
June 14 2010, 23:34:54 UTC 11 years ago
June 14 2010, 23:39:50 UTC 11 years ago
I pretty much loathe gardening because my mother insisted I garden HER way with HER plants- which were flowers and so pretty much not interesting to me, plus she has stupid ideas of garden maintenance. I was really only interested in growing stuff that I- or butterflies or something- could eat. That was not an option with her, and the slave labor she required did put me off gardening in general- something I'm trying to get over, but it's hard.
While the other kids in the summer were playing around the neighborhood, I was stuck weeding stupid bare-earth flower beds; NOT the way to get a kid enthused.
Well...
June 15 2010, 04:11:14 UTC 11 years ago
* Gardening is better done together than alone. Making kids do work that you don't want to do is unlikely to be beneficial.
* Be open to new ideas. People have different strengths, weaknesses, and interests in gardening. A family garden should incorporate everyone's tastes as much as feasible.
* If kids show an interest in gardening, let them have their own patch when they're old enough. Then it's their responsibility. If it turns into a weedy mess, well, they'll learn what happens if you don't take care of a garden.