A lifetime of enjoying the love of gardening can begin at a young age. I don’t remember the event, but my mother told me that when I was very young after eating a peach, I planted the seed in our backyard, which germinated and grew into a tree. That peach tree lived for probably 20 years and bore tasty fruit. I now know how unusual it is to have a peach tree bear delicious, edible fruit from a seedling. But that is how my mother credited my love for gardening, and I believed her. I do love gardening and take grandkids into the garden every chance I get.
To get young people interested in gardening, consider taking a trip to the library. Let children browse shelves for books on gardening, vegetables, flowers, insects.
Encourage kids to touch—touch soil, plants, insects.
Get the children their own set of tools, not plastic play toys at the dollar stores, but actual tools that can be used, ones they call their own and learn to take care of themselves. Tools like their own trowel to dig in the soil, make holes to plant seeds or transplants, and an inexpensive set of pruners to clip off pretty flowers.
Other stuff kids love are their own hats and very own gloves.
A short list of plants that kids love:
• Sunflowers. Kids might need some help sorting through catalogs that have a full line of sunflower varieties. Johnny’s Select Seed has quite a selection of varieties: short or tall, and few or many days to bloom. A variety that grows to the height of a young person is “Sundance Kid,” 28 inches in height and 60 days to bloom. On the other spectrum of height is Pro Cut Bicolor, 6 feet in height and 50 days to bloom.
• Cherry Tomatoes. Let the young guys pick their colors and grow one of each for a real summer smorgasbord. Green Bee has a green background that develops a yellowish-orange cast as it matures. Supersweet 100, the classic red that grows in enormous clusters. Indigo Cherry Drops is indigo colored! Yellow Mini, bright yellow fruit; Citrine, gorgeous orange. Purple Bumble Bee—kids would like this one just for its name! It is a rusty purple color with green stripes.
Most of all, be creative and have fun!
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