Summer months seem to loom ahead for children who are out of school and wondering “what is there to do next?” Here is a “do-it-yourself” (themselves) project that can keep kids busy and in the garden.
With just a little guidance and a set of instructions, kids can be given rein to make their own garden bed, or a fun word, a garden box. Maybe a separate box for each child so they can customize their garden to their own desires, growing crops that fit their particular tastes.
Assemble:
• Square or yardstick
• Lead pencil or marker
• Screws (slotted or phillips)
• Screwdriver (that fits the size of the screw head)
• Saw
• Four 4 x 4 inch posts
• Wood. Wood can come from expensive hardwoods like redwood or cedar. Inexpensive sources are used pallets, which may be found discarded. The quality to look for is some type of wood that is rot resistant.
—Never use treated wood. Chemicals used to preserve the integrity of the wood will leach into the soil and become toxic to the plants.
—Always use untreated wood. Keep it simple:
• Use a rectangular or square shape. Height of the box can be adjusted to the height of the child. Make sure short arms can reach into the box without having to climb into it in order to harvest their crop.
• A depth of 18 inches will accommodate most crops that will be grown in the box. Encourage the kids to grow something with an easy culture and that is easy to harvest.
• Consider overall size of the box before sowing the seed. Summer squash need a lot of space, while okra not so much.
• Measure wood before beginning to plan for the dimensions. The standard pallet size in the United States is 40 x 48 inches ,and each deck board 3.5 inches wide and 5/16 inch thick.
• Once dimensions have been decided upon, set the kids loose on measuring and marking the wood for any sawing to achieve the dimensions.
Put it together:
• Screw pallet boards into the 4-inch post. The boards do not have to be perfectly sawn nor perfectly square, as the 4 inches of the post allows for some imperfections.
• Screw the number of boards needed to achieve the desired height.
• Fill with soil.
• Plant seed.
• Water.
• Watch plants grow.
• Enjoy.
Ellen Peffley Harp, a retired professor of horticulture at Texas Tech University, writes about gardening for several Texas newspapers.
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