kidsgarden.jpgTeaching your kids to grow fruits and vegetables is easy.

In my article on “The Best Way to Get Your Kids to Eat More Vegetables” I discussed the importance of allowing kids to grow their own vegetables.

June is a great time to buy your kids some vegetable starts that will be sure to flourish when planted.

An organic patio garden or several patio gardens placed in key locations; are a great way to keep your kids busy while you are relaxing, working in the kitchen, or doing other outdoor tasks.

Why not put your kids to work and have them help put some food on the kitchen table for a change?

How to Make an Organic Kid’s Garden:

  • Find a sunny location where plants are sure to grow.
  • For EACH child, buy a large wooden barrel and fill with organic dirt. Don’t use pesticides as your kids will be digging around with their bare hands, and maybe even eating the dirt. Remember playing with dirt is half the fun of their garden. By using a large container, and organic fill dirt, you can easily control the quality of dirt that your children are playing in. Organic dirt is especially important for kids with skin problems, allergies, or asthma.
  • Buy starts or sprout your own seeds indoors of tomatoes, green beans, carrots, zucchinis, squash, potatoes, strawberries, herbs and other simple plants that are easy to grow.
  • Promote how much fun it is for them to get to water their garden each day! Find them a cute little child size’s watering can. Do watch out for over watering though!
  • Make a big deal when they finally grow a vegetable and prepare a special meal with their fruits or veggies.
  • Emphasize how delicious fresh tomatoes or strawberries are picked right off the vine!
  • Have them weed their own garden each day and hand remove bugs, slugs, and snails.
  • Use the opportunity of growing vegetables to teach your kids appreciation for all the work that goes in to producing food, in hopes that they will become less wasteful adults.
  • Teach them the botany behind how plants grow, and briefly explain how the plants use energy from the sun to make sugar and chlorophyll.
  • If you have more space you can create a larger organic garden for your kids!

For those with more space:

  • Plant easy to grow produce for them to tend to like strawberries, blueberries, gooseberries, potatoes, carrots, and squash liberally. Make it their “summer project” to grow food for the family to enjoy.
  • Build a Green Bean Teepee! Simply take green bean stakes and form them in to the shape of a teepee. Train the green beans to grow up the stakes and by August your kids will have a fun little fort to hide away in!
  • Grow a whole apple orchard or plant other trees for them to play hide and go seek in.
  • Build a green house for growing peppers, tomatoes, and herbs.
  • Make an organic compost bin and teach them about composting and how worms digest plant materials to make dirt.
  • Teach them the difference between a “weed and an herb”. Weeds are typically invasive plants. Herbs are “weeds” that have medicinal properties. Common herbs to learn about are dandelions, nettles, red clover, plantain, and cleavers. Honestly though, most weeds are simply herbs once you make friends with them.

Remember that if you have a garden of your own, avoid the use of heavy pesticides and go organic when at all possible. Organic dirt is vitally important for the kids and pets that actively play in your garden.

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen table!

~Dr. Nicole Sundene

Naturopathic Physician

www.KitchenTableMedicine.com

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