by Ondine Brooks Kuraoka

Gardening in Southern California does not have the time-constrained feeling of sweet urgency that exists in other parts of ... More

by Ondine Brooks Kuraoka

Gardening in Southern California does not have the time-constrained feeling of sweet urgency that exists in other parts of the country. It’s easy for parents to keep saying “We’ll garden with the kids next weekend.” Here are some ideas for those who don’t want to miss another season of gardening time with their children.

Charlotte Getz was awarded San Diego’s Channel 10 Leadership Award in 2006 for helping to launch a countywide school garden program committee through the Master Gardener Association (part of the UC Cooperative Extension). The committee’s book, Plant a Seed and Watch it Grow, is now available free of charge as an online guide to regionally-appropriate gardening ideas and activities.

“I love watching kids discover what’s happening in the garden,” Getz says. “They dig in the ground and find out what’s living in the soil. They learn about insects and how quickly plants grow with water and sunlight. Kids have the most fun grazing in the garden — eating lettuce, radishes, and snow peas.”

Charlie Nardozzi, a horticulturist and spokesperson for the National Gardening Association, emphasizes creating a positive experience with your child in the garden. “With preschool and kindergarten-age children, let go of the idea of getting a lot done or even of having a beautiful garden,” Nardozzi says. “It’s as essential for the child to dig holes as it is to produce a beautiful cherry tomato plant. Think in terms of the bigger picture — not so much what you’re producing as far as flowers and vegetables, but what impression you’re leaving with the child.”

However, as Nardozzi sees it, the goal is not for your child to use the garden like a sand box. Introduce the idea that plants are important; kids will soon emulate your own respect for plants. Gardening can bring out leadership and nurturing qualities in children as they gradually begin to take on more responsibility in caring for their plants.

Nardozzi also points to non-plant related gardening tasks. Kids can make little signs for the garden or simple garden crafts such as painting rocks with animal faces or making seasonal tree ornaments.

Lexie Stoia is the operations administrator for the American Community Gardening Association and also teaches for the after-school gardening program at the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, Ohio. Stoia advises a low-key introduction to the garden. “Start small,” Stoia says. “Pick something for the cool season and the warm season. You can plant lettuce in the spring, which gives instant gratification as far as gardening goes. In one month you can already be picking lettuce leaves. For summer you can plant tomatoes — kids especially love cherry tomatoes.”

Kids are sure to be thrilled if you give them a little space of their own. “Give them a four-foot square space in the garden and allow them to take ownership of it,” Stoia says.

Another benefit of involving kids in gardening is often a growing palate for a wider variety of foods. “You’ll be surprised what kids will eat when they grow it themselves,” Stoia says. “Adults think, ‘They won’t eat that!’ But they’ll want to try everything.”

Elaine Carreño, the associate program manager of Solana Center for Environmental Innovation, conducts vermicomposting workshops for San Diego County schools. Carreño illuminates the role that worms play in gardening, much to the squirmy delight of young gardeners. “At first, when they hear about worms, lots of kids say, ‘Yuck! I don’t want to touch them,’” she says. “But after they learn more, they’re in awe. Most kids know about recycling cans, paper and bottles but they don’t realize that worms can recycle banana peels, apple cores, bread, pasta, teabags and crushed eggshells. And worm castings and compost make rich soil to feed your plants.”

Keep in mind that composting worms are not typical earthworms. They are red wigglers, which are the only kind of worms that can actually compost food. You can find detailed instructions on setting up your own vermicompost bin on the Solana Center’s website as well as where to purchase red wigglers.

Another way to generate interest in gardening is to visit a local farm. Tierra Miguel Farm in Pauma Valley is an 85-acre organic, educational farm and charitable organization. Beth Levendoski, president of the Tierra Miguel Foundation, says, “Spending time at an archetypal farm helps children reconnect to their inner experience of where food comes from.”

Tierra Miguel hosts events several times a year, including health fairs, strawberry and pumpkin festivals, Farmer-for-a-Day programs and Field-to-Fork classes in which the whole family can pick vegetables in the fields and learn to prepare and eat them.

Lisa Whittlesey is the national program coordinator for the Junior Master Gardener Program based at Texas A & M University. The JMG Program provides teachers and parents with a curriculum of seasonally organized activities, including detailed instructions and support materials. The program is ideal for children in 2nd to 7th grade and a child can choose to become certified as a Junior Master Gardener by completing a number of activities.

“Lots of parents like the idea of gardening with kids but there’s a little bit of fear if they haven’t gardened themselves, or if they feel like they don’t know enough to get started,” Whittlesey says.

According to Nardozzi, “Most gardeners can point to a parent, grandparent or someone who introduced them to gardening. It’s a legacy that’s passed on. That’s really what you’re doing with your child when you start planting that square patch of beans and marigolds together. You may not grow much but you’re creating a memory for them so, as they get older, they may be more inclined to garden.”