Mn Mom says:

August 11th, 2008 at 11:53 am

I think sharing a love of nature and/or gardening is a precious gift for a child. I grew up one of seven children in Minnesota and our mother’s gardening bug is evidenced in all of her children. We all do it in our own way. My own children grew up in suburban Long Island on a very small lot, but they know where their vegetables come from because we grew them “square foot garden” style. We also took them to wonderful public gardens at every opportunity. Yes, sometimes it was a forced march. They are college students now, but I await signs that their inner gardener has emerged….any season now.

Valerie says:

August 11th, 2008 at 3:35 pm

I love to take my niece and nephew apple picking in the fall. We have a great time at the local orchards, picking, sampling, and doing all the other activities that make it more of an adventure for them. They see it as an outing, not a “learning experience” - although they can name more types of apples than I can! I like to think it’s something they enjoy, and will carry forward into some sort of tradition of their own, later.

Amy F says:

August 11th, 2008 at 8:47 pm

I went apple picking last fall with my 1.5 and 3.5 year olds and it went great. They got to run around, the three year old was good at picking, the little guy picked some off the ground occasionally. A good time was had by all and we went twice. I really liked Fall Harvest Orchard — lots of animals to feed (without the petting-zoo feel), very friendly owners who took toy tractors down from a collection to let my toddler play with, and great prices. We’re going back this Friday for opening day.

I left a big patch of my garden unplanted this year and let my boys dig in it — best gardening move of the year. I can weed, plant, harvest, etc and know where they are. They occasionally help. The four year old can put in seeds and both are decent waterers. They love peas, beans, and tomatoes right off the plants, despite being reluctant veggie eaters at meals. They roleplay gardening inside. I love that they’re excited about the garden.

Robin says:

August 12th, 2008 at 6:32 am

I had my daughter’s 15 year friend help me dig potatoes and then we went to pick green beans. She told me that was the first time she had seen bean plants and did not know they had grown that way. I then took her around the rest of the garden with me, showing the plants and explaining what they were and how they grew.
I hope the garden made an impression on her, as her parents are obviously not gardeners.
I also tell my kids and their friends that they are welcome to raid the garden anytime. And they do.

Mn Mom says:

August 12th, 2008 at 12:45 pm

All this makes me wish my kids were small again…so much fun. We had fun planting seeds…big ones they could see and handle like marigold seeds. We made house plants by rooting the top of a pineapple from the store and planting an avacado half way in dirt and watching it split and the shoot come up…indoor plants for “free.” And of course trying to grow your own pumpkins if you have the room is a true kid thriller.

Erika says:

August 18th, 2008 at 2:15 pm

My mom is a huge gardener. When I was little, she would pay me a penny for each weed I picked. It was a nice way for me to make some money (at times, I would spend hours weeding), and spend time with my mom. When I got older, the hour after dinner always was the time that me and my mom would go outside to garden. Well, she would actually do work while I just sat and talked. I hope that I will be able to pass down this ritual to my kids, whenever I have them.