Gardening part 2

The spring weather had the whole family outside as we busied ourselves with the prepping of our garden. They say many hands make light work and it was great having the gang out there working
alongside me.

I love growing my veggies and eating foods we have grown ourselves free of chemical sprays and
pesticides and picked fresh…doesn’t that just sound so idyllic. And it kind of is BUT I must admit that what I really love about having a garden is what my children can learn.

Gardening teaches about the miracle of life…that tiny brown seed barely bigger than a grain of sand will grow into a bright orange carrot…that almond sized seed will transform into a trailing vine with zucchinis and those same seeds we dig out of the guts of our jack-o-lanterns have the potential to grow a whole pumpkin patch.

Gardening teaches delayed gratification and patience as they wait for the tiny seed to grow. It takes
weeks for the seed to push roots deep into the soil while foliage reaches up out of the soil towards the sun. We must wait even longer for the crop to grow and grow and grow until it is ready for harvest.

Gardening teaches about diet and nutrition. They discover where produce comes from and provides an opportunity for kids to try new and different produce packed with all kinds of nutrients.

And of course a garden teaches hard work and responsibility as a garden needs to be prepared, planted, tended to, weeded and watered. But the beauty of it is, the KIDS LOVE TO GARDEN so for them it feels like a whole lot of fun!