Page 20 - North Haven Magazine Issue 22 Winter 2022

A Chi
A Child's ld's

First Gardenirst Garden
F by Sally Brockett

Gardening is great fun!

If you want a child’s mind to grow… you must first plant a seed ~ Rob Floyd

Gardening is a wonderful way to enjoy nature and new experiences with children, both young and old. A young child can learn how things
grow and thrive, and older children can experiment with creative ideas in designing the garden and selecting plants to grow, both vegetables
to eat and flowers for beauty. Great memories will be born that can last a lifetime as they are shared among grandparents, parents, and friends.
Let’s consider ways to involve children in their first garden.

Start with a plan.
The first step involves developing a plan. Talk with the child and share
ideas about different types of gardens, taking into consideration the
land available, light and soil conditions, and availability of water.
Encourage the child to decide if it will be a vegetable garden, flower
garden, or a combination. Planting flowers among the vegetables can
enhance the garden with color and help reduce insect damage if ap-
propriate plants are selected to deter pests. And flowers can become
available to cut and put into a pretty bouquet!

Organize the space.
Help the child draw a plan on paper to organize the garden space.
Discuss the importance of spacing so the plants have sufficient room
to grow, and consideration given to their height, so the tall plants are
in the back and not blocking the view and the sunlight from the short- Look what I grew for dinner!
er plants. Remember to create walking space to allow people to work
among the plants to weed, water, and harvest the crop. This is an op- eat, while other food grows within a pod or hidden within a husk is
portunity to involve math skills! part of the fun. There is also the joy of picking a juicy, ripe tomato
right off the plant that is ready to eat without cooking or extensive
Decide on the crops. preparation. Some of these vegetables, such as cucumbers, corn, and
It is a good idea to start with crops that are generally easy to grow and melons, require a lot of space. Using a fence or trellis for cucumbers
likely to be successful. Of course, success cannot be guaranteed, and is a space saver and corn can be planted in groups of 5 to save space
that is part of the learning experience, but trying to grow a plant that and enhance pollination.
is known to be difficult could lead to frustration. Gardening develops
many skills, including patience. Children are eager to see the fruits Flowers.
of their labor, but seeds take time to germinate, and more time to Colorful blossoms will add beauty to the child’s first garden and some
grow into a plant that can produce the vegetable. Children will learn flowers will help discourage pesty insects from consuming the plants.
to watch each stage of growth until the final moment when they can Flowering plants can be started from seed, and some can be pur-
harvest something to eat or enjoy a colorful flower. chased already in blossom at the nursery. When starting with seeds,
Vegetables. be sure to choose those that are easy to start and manage. The follow-
ing flowers are good choices for children:
If the child has decided on growing some vegetables, the following
vegetables might be good to consider. Don’t be hesitant to include a Nasturtiums Sunflowers Snapdragons Zinnias
few that the child may not have a particular preference for because he Marigold
may be willing to try it just because he grew it himself! Here are some There are many varieties of marigolds, sunflowers, and zinnias, so be
ideas for “child-friendly” vegetables: sure to look through the seed catalogs to see the varied sizes, colors,
Carrots Peppers Peas Spinach and forms.
Broccoli Cherry tomatoes Lettuce Green beans Gardening Tips.
Pumpkins Summer squash Potatoes Sweet potatoes It is important to avoid overwhelming the child with the garden.
Start with a small garden the first year to assure that it can be man-
Corn Cucumbers Gourds Watermelon aged well. If good soil is not available, try a raised bed garden or use
large containers to hold good soil and your plants. Weeding can be
This list includes a variety of vegetables that produce the food in dif- reduced with container gardening and the use of mulch. Soaker hoses
ferent ways. It is especially fun for children to grow root vegetables are excellent for watering. This type of hose directs the water into the
because of the joy and surprise when they harvest the produce hid- ground around the base of the plant, avoids wasting water, and wet-
den underground. Learning that some food grows as a leaf that we ting the leaves which may promote disease.

North Haven Magazine - Winter Issue 2022
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