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GARDENING WITH KIDS |
Below are selections from articles
that have appeared in this section.
Click on the links to read full stories. |
 Each
fall, as the days grow shorter, decreasing daylight triggers
the change from quiet greens of summer leaves to loud yellows,
oranges and reds—a transformation that inspires little
ones to gather nature's handiwork into bouquets for parents,
grandparents and teachers. Fall
Leaves |
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| Building
and caring for a miniature garden enclosed in clear glass or
plastic is an easy project for young gardeners. A covered, well-constructed
terrarium needs little care, only requiring warmth and low light
to flourish. Plus, a terrarium is a great way to demonstrate
how water transpires from plants and evaporates from soil to
create rain that falls back to the soil, and is then drawn up
through the plant roots and lost through transpiration again.
Terrariums |
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| By
day, adult fireflies look like insignificant beetles. In fact,
you and your kids probably wouldn't recognize one if you saw
it resting on a nearby leaf. After all, fireflies don't bite,
carry disease or cause significant plant damage. But when the
sun goes down, they fascinate just about everyone, their twinkles
lighting up the night. Fireflies |
|
 What
would pizza, pasta and tossed salad be without tomatoes? Most
Canadians eat raw or cooked tomatoes almost every day, and even
fussy youngsters eat this vegetable packed with vitamin C and
A—botanically a fruit because they contain seeds—without
complaint. Since tomatoes are easy to grow in containers, they're
great for kids to nurture in patio pots, window boxes and even
hanging baskets. Growing Tomatoes
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| In
a matter of weeks, morning glories, tall sweet peas and climbing
nasturtiums provide bright colour, seeming to bloom before your
very eyes. Kids love them because annual vines grow so quickly
they can almost see them reach for great heights or stretch
to new lengths. And because the seeds are large, kids can easily
sow them with just a little help from adults. Flowering
Annual Vines |
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| A
well-tended herb garden looks good enough to, well, eat. And
when kids grow herbs on a windowsill, they can easily snip off
leaves and flowers for tasty additions to salads, soups and
casseroles. Trim herbs often--it encourages them to produce
for a long time. Windowsill
Herbs |
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| Never
mind that your perennials are fast asleep. You and your children
can chase away those colourless winter-blah days by livening
up your garden with a simple birdfeeder. In their own way, winter
birds are as beautiful as spring and summer flowers. Bird
Feeders |
|
Jack Frost is painting windows and Frosty the Snowman is popping
up on neighborhood lawns, but your kids can still garden indoors.
One great growing project is to sow palm seeds that sprout into
kid-friendly, low-maintenance houseplants. You can purchase
commercial seeds, but it's cheapest and most fun to eat some
dates, then plant the pits. Palm
Trees |
|
| What
nature-loving kid can resist pocketing such treasures as new-fallen
acorns and pine cones, lichen-covered twigs, and bright green
moss? A fun way to encourage your child's interest in nature
is to help him transform his bounty into holiday decorations.
Just gather promising materials as you clean up your garden,
walk around your neighborhood or hike in the forests. Christmas
Trees |
|
 Paperwhites
(Narcissus tazetta) are the perfect winter indoor growing
project for kids. In just four to six weeks after planting,
jaunty blooms cheerfully promise that spring is on its way.
And their fragrance is magnificent! All you need are a few bulbs,
a watertight container and some pebbles or marbles. Paperwhites
grow well in water, so you don't need soil. Each bulb contains
everything else it needs to flower. You and your child can practically
watch them grow, and once the bulbs sprout, you can measure
the leaves and stems daily - they grow that quickly. Forcing
Paperwhites |
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| For
all their majesty, flowering bulbs are among the easiest plants
for kids to grow. Each bulb is a complete package that practically
guarantees success. Even young children can create a breathtakingly
beautiful spring display in containers, a garden or naturalized
in a lawn with spring bulbs. The snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils
and tulips you help your child plant this fall will delight
the entire family next spring. Fall
Bulb Planting |
|
| Many
adult gardeners are kids at heart: it never ceases to amaze
them, no matter how many years they've tilled the soil, that
beautiful, mature plants grow from insignificant-looking seeds.
Few seeds present such an incredible surprise as Jack's, whose
magic bean grew into a giant beanstalk; most are like Mr. McGregor's,
whose vegetable seeds sprouted to produce predicable sizes of
radishes, lettuce, French beans, parsley and cabbage. Gathering
Seeds |
|
 Although
kissing a toad is asking a lot—even if it might turn into
a handsome prince—smart gardeners love this voracious,
bug-eyed amphibian, warts and all. And no wonder! A toad's long,
sticky tongue seldom misses its target: slugs, beetles, cutworms,
flies, grasshoppers, moths, sow bugs, pill bugs, centipedes,
millipedes, crickets and ants. A toad can eat three times its
weight in tiny, tasty critters every day, but it doesn't eat
flowers or vegetables. Toads
and Frogs |
|
 Sunflowers
exude charisma, whether they stand in relaxed formation in a
farmer's field, watch over the tomatoes and cucumbers in a suburban
vegetable garden, or guard a porch or patio single-handedly
in a terra cotta pot. And who can resist smiling at enthusiastic
overachievers towering over a garage roof? Perky symbols of
optimism and a cinch to grow, they're a perfect plant for kids
to plant. Growing Sunflowers
|
|
 Everybody
knows pumpkins are enchanted: Cinderella’s godmother turned
one into a magnificent carriage, Linus waited for the great
one rather than go trick-or-treating, and every year millions
are transformed into scary-looking jack-o’-lanterns. But did
you know pumpkins are the world’s largest berries? Pumpkins
are great plants for kids to grow. The seeds are large enough
for little hands to sow, the leaves and flowers are showy, and
the mature fruit is the ultimate Halloween decoration. The bonus
is you can bake the flesh in pies and breads and roast the seeds
for snacks. Growing Pumpkins
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|  Kids
love butterflies. They enjoy watching them flit from flower
to flower and delight in witnessing ugly caterpillars transform
into beautiful flying insects. One way to foster this connection
between your child and nature is to help him or her plant
a butterfly garden. You don’t need a lot of space to attract
butterflies — they’ll travel out of their way to dine on their
favourite plants, even if the garden is confined to a windowbox
or planter. Kids and butterflies
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|
Cloning is a hot topic these days, but growers of African violets
have been doing it for years. You and your child can, too. It's
easy to propagate tiny plantlets with leaves and flowers exactly
like the mother plant, and with the right light, temperature,
and fertilizer, they'll grow into beautiful houseplants that
bloom most of the year. African
violets |
|
 Growing
a lovely houseplant from a common sweet potato straight from
the grocery cart is just as much fun for kids today as it was
in Grandma's time. If you help your children sprout one, you
can share in their delight as purplish-green leaves emerge from
the top of a vegetable you usually boil and mash, or candy in
butter and brown sugar. And, if you're lucky, your child's plant
may produce some lilac-coloured blossoms. Sweet
potato vine
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