Mud season is long over in NEW ENGLAND. My husband and I prepared for our vegetable garden over a month ago and you would hope everything would be well underway. BUT, we have had rain and a colder season, so the vegetables are behind. Our parsley is great, after all, it thrives in cooler temperatures. But at 50 degrees yesterday morening and 55 this morning, the cold wet earth tends to cause damp off, so, it isn't looking good.
In New England, we have an occasional late frost, so it's a tradition to plant on Memorial Day Weekend. We did, we included the usual tomatoes, cukes, and squashes. The tomatoes are slow to grow and the cukes and squashes have rotten away.
This year, we were hoping to help our grocery bills along more than last summer. We eat most of our own vegetables all summer long. I'm hoping the weather will turn around soon as it isn't too late to continue planting.
Isabel and her Nanny are visiting on the July Fourth weekend. I'm interested in having the lovely little Bella try new gardening gloves I got for her...DORA THE EXPOLORER, of course, and in lavender. Children are facinated to watch plants grow. I learned a bit when I was her age and my enthusiasm has never died. The following article discussed making gardening a family affair. Enjoy! Amber Columbia
Make Gardening a Family Event
Author: Organic GardenerShow them how much you enjoy gardening. Spend time in your garden. It is especially easy to stimulate a child's interests when they see you having fun.
Make gardening easy. Don't expect a perfect garden. Allow your family to work at their own pace and within their attention spans and age range, especially children.
Dig it! Kids love to dig. This is a great way to teach the basics while letting them play and just have fun.
Let them play an active role in planning. Take your children to the local nursery and let them pick seeds or transplants to start their garden. Take your time and let them browse and enjoy all of the beautiful plants.
Grow a theme garden. This is a great way to let your children use their imagination and express their creativity. The sky is the limit. Some great ideas are gardens that coincide with the holidays, alphabet gardens, a garden themed in their favorite colors, a sensory garden where you can experience different smells, tastes, textures and sights, or a "Freedom Garden".
Give children their own "kid sized" tools. They don't have to be expensive. You can go with an old spoon and a bucket that you have around the house or you can venture down to the garden center and purchase garden tools made for children's hands.
Give them a space to call their own. It doesn't have to be big. This will teach them ownership and responsibility, and your children will be able to take credit for their own little space.
Get crafty! Press or dry flowers to make a beautiful arrangement, make potpourri, or make a pomander ball. Children love making things and will be amazed at the crafts and gifts that they can make from the garden.
Grow a vegetable garden. Your children will be amazed that they can grow their own food. Be sure to use organic pesticides.
Use gardening to brush up your children's math and science skills. Let them count the seeds they are planting, or teach them how plants are living things. Not only will you capture their attention, you will be polishing their skills as you go.
Have a contest. Kids love to be rewarded. Be sure to give each child a reward; the biggest tomato, the prettiest flower, or perhaps the best tasting herbs (a little Spray-N-Grow will help!)
Don't try to do it all! Pick a few of these tips that you know are best for your family and have fun with them. After all, gardening is meant to be fun and easy. And with a little help, something the whole family can enjoy.
About the Author:Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Make Gardening a Family Event
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