You could say that my great-grandmother, my father’s grandmother, loved to garden, but I don’t think it would capture her passion. She had hundreds of flowers growing in beds all around the house and in every windowsill. She and my great-grandfather didn’t have much, only a wood furnace for heat, and yet her African violets were in bloom all through the winter. In the summer, she’d work in her flower beds using an old spoon. My father used to watch her and listen to her, and as he did, the seeds were planted that would later blossom into his own interest in gardening. Grandparents with a love of gardening may find that their grandchildren absorb their passion, but they can also take an active role in helping their grandkids grow into gardeners by showing them the excitement of planting seeds and watching them grow, the fun of working in the garden, and the satisfaction of picking and eating their own vegetables.

Planting seeds and watching the shoots come out of the ground holds a thrill even for seasoned gardeners, but it is especially exciting as a child. A small container such as a plastic tub or a tin can filled with soil is a great place for kids to plant their first seeds since container gardening makes the soil easier to work with and the plants easier to care for and the containers can be kept indoors where kids can constantly watch the progress of their seeds; just make sure that they don’t over water them, as kids sometimes tend to do. Marigolds are an excellent plant to start with; the seeds are almost guaranteed to germinate and grow and they produce abundant, brightly coloured flowers. Kids may enjoy choosing the colour of the marigolds they will grow and it will make them feel like their flowers are really their own. Squash, pumpkin, and beans are also easy to grow, and it is exciting to watch squash and pumpkins get big and bean sprouts pop out of the soil. These plants grow somewhat slowly, but radishes can provide excitement in the meantime as they grow quickly, like lots of water, and can be dug up and eaten in just a few weeks.

As your grandchildren’s plants grow, you can keep them in containers or you can transplant them to an outdoor garden, taking care with transplant-sensitive plants like bush beans. The initial excitement that kids feel when first seeing their germinated seeds shoot out of the soil may wear off, but there are lots of opportunities for them to have fun in the garden. Kids might enjoy the sense of independence that comes from marking and planting their own rows and doing their own watering and weeding, but they-and let’s face it, some of us older gardeners too-especially like to play in the dirt. Give them a little space of their own in the garden where they can play and explore. As they have fun, they can grow in their knowledge; have them look for insects and earthworms as they dig in the soil and explain how these creatures help the garden, or teach them about different flowers and vegetables. Kids learn through their senses, so encourage them to carefully touch and smell the plants. If your grandkids enjoy making things, help them build or paint their own garden signs, row markers, or other decorations that they can put by their section of the garden to make it their own. Older kids may find that growing vegetables to help others adds a deeper sense of meaning to their gardening, so let them know how they can get involved in the Plant a Row, Grow a Row program. The Grow Regina website features a link to the Plant a Row, Grow a Row Junior website, where kids can learn more about it and have fun learning more about gardening.

Perhaps the greatest satisfaction comes when the veggies ripen and are ready for picking. As both children and gardeners know, vegetables just taste better when you’ve picked them off the plant or pulled them out of the ground yourself. Plant fruits and vegetables that are fun for kids to pick and eat, like cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, peas, green beans, strawberries, and watermelon. It is something they will likely look forward to every year, and their enjoyment of fruits and veggies fresh from the garden may take root and grow into a desire to start gardens of their own.

My great-grandmother passed down her calla lily bulbs to my father. He still grows them in his yard, where he can be found nearly every day in the spring and summer, tending to his vegetable and flower gardens. As your grandchildren plant their first seeds and watch them grow, have fun in the garden, and eat delicious fresh fruits and vegetables, they, too, may grow into adults who love to spend their summer days working in the garden.

Submitted by Jennifer Bobowski

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 15th, 2009 at 3:28 pm and is filed under Spotlight on Gardeners.