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Gardening with your kids can be a wonderful experience for both you and the children. This activity can also teach the kids a true appreciation of nature and develop a love of plants that will last throughout their lives.

Children want to be a part of everything and gardening is no exception. Most kids enjoy getting dirty and working with soil allows them this joy of childhood. Before allowing them to begin the gardening activities of the day, dress them in practical clothing. Choose long pants to protect tender knees. Select old clothing which you will not mind if grass and dirt stains do not come out of the clothing.

Safety Issues

Before beginning a gardening project with your kids, you should have a safety discussion. Many gardening tools are perfectly safe for [children] to use, but others can be dangerous. Identify which tools they should not touch as well as any power tools such as lawn mowers, electric hedge trimmers, or sharp utensils such as hoes that must be avoided and only operated by adults.

Young children tend to put everything in their mouths. It is important to explain to kids that they can not put any gardening material into their mouths and should not put fingers into their mouths while gardening. Fertilizer and enriched soil can be poison to kids. Be prepared to carefully supervise the gardening activities because children quickly forget these rules and can place a finger in their mouth without thinking!

Children’s Gardening Tools

Kids need gardening tools that are correctly sized for smaller hands. You can purchase kid-sized gardening tools with brightly colored handles at affordable prices so that your kids can have their very own gardening tools. If you purchase a set for each child, select different colored handles to prevent arguments over who owns which tools.

Select a garden trowel, a rake and small shovel or spade for each child. A small wheelbarrow can be shared by the kids since this is a more expensive tool. Each child can own a brightly colored bucket for carrying soil. A small watering pot is also a great addition to the child’s tool set. You may wish to purchase children’s gardening tools in handy garden totes. These sets contain all the hand tools needed for basic gardening.

You can purchase, or if you are handy with a sewing machine you can sew, a gardening apron for each child. Knee pads can be found in cute designs such as lady bugs if you plan to spend a lot of time kneeling in the garden plot.

Create a Kids’ Garden Area

You can choose to allow the kids to help with your gardening chores if you wish. But kids really get into gardening when they are given their very own garden plot. Each child could have a small plot for their own plants to care for. This provides the best sense of ownership and will keep the child interested in the project all season.

Choose seeds and plants for the kids’ gardening plots that are easy to grow and require little regular care. Children like to see something produced by their efforts, either flowers or food. They are usually not as interested in growing plants that only provide foliage. Marigolds, snap dragons, and four-o-clocks make great choices for flowering plants. Cherry tomatoes or bell pepper plants let the children grow something good to eat.

Kids in the Main Garden Area

If the kids want to help in the main garden area, you can allow them to help you weed, aerate the soil, water, and harvest. Before allowing them to weed, be sure they are able to identify the plants which should not be removed. Otherwise, you will probably end up with none of the desired plants remaining and lots of weeds.

Kids can also help rake leaves. They may not be very effective doing this job, but they can have a lot of fun with the task. Then, when the leaves are piled high, everyone can enjoy jumping into the pile.

The Family which Gardens Together Stays Together

Gardening with the kids can build strong family ties. Parents too often have too little time to spend with their children and teach them skills. Gardening, as task you are going to be involved in anyway, is a great time to involve the entire family. Children that are included in family activities which include exercise, such as gardening, tend to be less likely to become obese, even as adults. They develop better fine motor skills and hand to eye coordination. They are also less likely to later become involved in crime, alcohol, drugs, and even less likely to pick up bad habits such as smoking. They are more likely to learn not to bully others, share with others, and be kind to everyone. The kids involved in family-oriented activities are also less likely to drop out of school and are more likely to earn good grades.

So, take time to share your gardening with your kids. Everyone will benefit from the experience. Your gardening chores may take a bit longer, but the time investment is well worth while. Don’t miss out on this valuable experience. Begin gardening with your kids now!

For More Information About Gardening With Kids. Please visit these garden and landscape links of some of our garden partners below.

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BENEFITS OF GARDENING FOR KIDS

Eco-friendly gardening helps maintain the environment and should be an important goal for everyone who gardens, regardless of whether your garden is large or small. Plants breathe in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen which is important to the renewal of the air we breathe. Plants provide food for wildlife and support healthy soil.

If you have never been involved in eco-friendly gardening , now is the time to begin. It is not difficult to convert your garden into an eco-friendly paradise which attracts wildlife and support the environment. If you are just starting a garden, start off on the ecologically sound basis provided by the tips below.

Garden with Native Plants: Too often gardeners want to grow plants that are not native to their locale and this introduces plants which can spread and drive out indigenous plants which are important to the balance of nature. Just because you elect to use native plants in your garden does not mean your garden must look wild or ragged. You can create some very attractive landscapes using nothing but plants that are native to your area. Another benefit of using local plants is that they cost less than imported varieties.

Stop Using Poisonous Sprays: Often people want to kill every insect that lives in their garden. The problem with this is that birds, butterflies, even animals can also be killed or experience problems as a result. There are many insects and creatures that are beneficial to the garden such as lady bugs, earthworms and [gardening techniques] which discourage insect infestations. Natural pesticides created from garlic or peppers can be used without harming nature to discourage infestations that do occur. Generally, however, healthy plants can withstand minor insect attacks, so focus on keeping the garden healthy rather than using detrimental sprays.

Take a Plant Survey: Contact your local plant society or county cooperative agent and have them walk through your properly. They can point out plants you should maintain as well as those which are not native to your area and should be removed. Non-native plants can drive out native plants and damage the environment. An example is the melaleuca tree which was introduced to Florida and today poses a real threat to the environment of the Everglades and other areas.

Protect Plants When Building or Clearing Garden Areas: Fence area off which need to be protected when you are building a structure such as a fence, stone wall, potting shed, or workshop. When clearing garden areas for planting, protect native plants. You can easily mark the plants to protect by using a color coded system of three colors of ribbon: one color for definitely remove, one color for save if possible, and one color for rare plants that must be saved. Then you can either transplant or work around the native plants.

Collect Water in a Rain Barrel: Place large plastic or metal drums along the eaves of building or in the yard to collect rain water for watering your potted plants and garden plants. The rain water contains no additives such as chlorine or fluoride and cost absolutely nothing, which reduces your watering bill. You can even transfer the water into seepage irrigation drums placed in strategic areas of the garden. Obtain the containers for collecting rain water by recycling materials that would otherwise end up in the landfill. Companies which empty drums of various types that held non-toxic, safe contents can be obtained easily and often at no cost whatsoever. Simply wash the barrels out with clear water to remove any residue or debris.

Create a Compost Pile: Compost retains moisture in your soil and reduces weed growth. It provides insulation for your garden and valuable nutrients. It also reduces the amount of garbage you send to the landfill by as much as 40%. All organic matter such as glass clippings, certain foods, and other natural material can be included in the compost pile. You can also compost in a container is you are worried about odor. You can fine detailed instruction for composting effectively online.

Create a Garden that Conserves Water: Water conservation is important because the water tables in many areas are becoming lower and lower. This results in sink holes and eventually may result in a worldwide water shortage. Design your garden so that it uses water efficiently. In the case of a sloped garden, place water-intensive plants near the front and those that require less water at the rear. Then water from the rear, allowing water to run downhill. Place a thick layer of compost or mulch over your garden to reduce evaporation of water. Only provide water in dry periods and then use as much collected rainwater as possible.

Use a Manual Lawnmower: Electric or gas lawnmowers use resources that not only cost you money in utility bills but are non-renewable for the most part. Manual lawnmowers are only a bit harder to use than powered mowers and the exercise is good for you. If you keep the lawn well maintained by mowing weekly during spring and summer, the grass will be easy to use. You can either bag the grass for inclusion in your compost or allow the grass to work its way into the soil and provide nutrients for your lawn.

Light Your Garden with Solar Lights: You may want to highlight special areas of your garden to show off specimen plants or you might just like to light your garden for evening enjoyment. Installing electric lights is a costly venture and continues to cost money each month in electricity, a non-renewable resource. You may even have to have a professional install your lights, which can be very expensive. Instead, you can purchase solar powered lighted which are beautiful and quite inexpensive. They generally cost the same or often much less than electric light and collect enough solar energy even on cloudy days to light the garden all evening. The selection of solar powered lights includes some very unique and beautiful designs and you will find a choice that is perfect for you eco-friendly garden.

For more Eco-Friendly Gardening Tips And Ideas. Visit These links from our garden partners below.

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Gardening fashion is turning toward retro plants. Most Baby Boomers recall from their childhood years going to their grandparents’ homes and seeing a gorgeous, bountiful flower garden of colorful blossoms. Sometimes, on a sunny summer day, Grandma probably gave you scissors and allowed you to cut a bouquet.

A time came that perfectly manicured shrubs were the rage in gardening fashion and annual [flower gardens] were much less popular. Just like pin-striped suits and bellbottoms, the plants of childhood were no longer in fashion. Just like clothing fashion has revisited styles of years gone by, gardening fashion is turning to the beauty and simplicity of retro plants.

Retro plants offer a comforting feel of nostalgia and most are very easy to grow. Let’s look at some of the great retro plants that are coming back into gardening fashion:

Sunflowers: Huge, Mammoth varieties provide huge blossoms a foot or more across. But if you want less height and drama, you can find sunflowers in smaller varieties and even color variations now. If you want to feed the wild birds in winter or roast sunflower seeds for your family, choose the large Mammoths and allow the seeds to mature. Sunflowers are a great choice for a child’s first gardening adventure because the large, colorful blossoms offer such satisfaction after the growing period. Nothing is more dramatic on a table than two or three large sunflower blossoms in a simple vase.

Zinnias: Zinnias offer a bounty of color and blossoms and are easy to grow, making them perfect for the busy modern family. The wide range of colors available allows the retro garden to have brightness and the blossoms make great cut flowers. There are even green blossoms available now; that variety is aptly named ‘Envy’. These, too, are great starter-flowers for young gardeners.

Marigolds: Want an easy to grow plant which will also help repel unwanted insects from the garden? Then marigolds are for you. You’ll find a range of colors and even plant sizes so there is a variety sure to fit into your retro garden perfectly.

Ferns: Ferns never really go out of style, but recently they have become all the rage for hanging baskets as well as ground plantings. For an elegant front porch look that is inviting, hang Boston ferns long the front of the porch. While these ferns are not the easiest to grow, a little care will go a long way in maintaining their beauty. On trick with the Boston fern is that all too often it is seriously root bound when purchased and will thrive when one crowded pot is divided into two. Asparagus fern can be lush and gorgeous, but use care when choosing where to plant this tuberous, spreading fern or it can get out of hand. Great for ground cover in front of taller plants or in baskets. Watch out when trimming because many of these ferns have small thorns hidden in their beautiful, deep green foliage.

Coleus: For a variety of color, coleus is a great choice. Colors range from light, pale green to deepest purple and many varieties are variegated. Easy to grow, this plant loves moisture and can even be grown in deep shade. In fact, it requires shade at least a good portion of the day to thrive.