Suggestions & Tips for Adult-Child Gardening:

Following are a few suggestions that might help make your foray into gardening with children less daunting:

Plan Ahead: If you’re working with several children or only one:

• Decide and mark the area each child will have for her/ his own garden. If you have room, spreading out the patches may avoid comparisons and competition.

• Gather enough tools for each child: sharing may come eventually, but start each child with his/her trowel, watering can, and work gloves.

• Be sure each plot has sufficient sunlight.

• Gather a few gardener’s catalogues. Each child will be able to see what the various plants will look like as they begin to mature. You can even make picture plant stakes to help the child remember what is planted and where.

Top Crops: Here’s a list of almostfoolproof plants children enjoy:

Bush beans • Carrots (fun example of tasty roots) • Cherry tomatoes (tasty treat for a tired gardener) • Lambs Ear (fool-proof, fuzzy, and cute plant) • Lettuce (nice because children can often get several harvests) • Nasturtiums (great for a conversation on edible flowers) • Potatoes (another tasty root) • Pumpkin (a big favorite, if you have room enough for the sturdy vines to spread) • Snow peas (fun to eat fresh off the vine) • Sunflowers (talk about photosynthesis and watch those heads turn!)

• You may have an old sandbox in the garage or gardening shed. Fill it with soil and make that a child’s garden.

• Take lots of pictures of gardener and plants. Keep an on-line or paper scrapbook, even if the whole project lasts only a few days or a week. It will be fun to look back at the project as your young gardener matures and, hopefully, takes on more responsibilities and projects in the garden.

• Suggest a theme garden, perhaps like one they saw at a public garden. Paint rocks to place in the garden. Use twigs and shells to decorate the soil.

• If all else fails and the kids are getting cranky, build a scarecrow. Grab a leaky pair of boots or old sneakers, some socks, worn-out jeans, a longsleeve shirt, garden gloves, a beach ball or big balloon, and a hat. Get that left-over straw from the spring or lots of newspaper and rags. Stuff those clothes; tie them together with gardening twine. Draw features on that balloon or ball, and bingo! You’ve got a scarecrow. (It can be a reclining scarecrow if the construction seems precarious.)

Whatever happens, have fun. Take pictures. Take your time. Savor those hours or days shared with children. You may get tired, frustrated, even annoyed, but you’ll look back on the days in the children’s gardens with appreciation and delight. Truly!

Miscellaneous Tips:

• Be prepared to “cheat”: If a bunny has devoured your young gardener’s lettuce plants, go ahead and replace them with a few fresh plants. Pull a few of those weeds choking her snow peas. Also, if you’re watering, sprinkle a bit around the children’s patches. It’s more important that they enjoy the gardening and the garden than that they do everything perfectly themselves.