Gardening With Kids

Gardening alone is can be a relaxing activity, but gardening with kids is twice the fun! Even young children can benefit from getting their hands dirty. Horticulture Expert Julie Snell and her son Tristan love to get in the garden together. Tristan is four and a half years old, but Snell says no age is too young to get kids outside and into the garden. She says its important to get them away from the distractions of TV and the computer. "Tristan loves to run around and dig holes. A dirt pile is the best thing for a kid. They run up it, then run down it, they dig holes. Thats hours of entertainment," Snell says. Snell says there are some other useful things to have on hand if you plan to spend the day in the garden. "Its great to have sunscreen with you, bug spray, gloves, a hat, things like that. Sometimes we need a change of clothes and shoes. We get pretty dirty and messy in the garden! We have a good time," Snell says. She says the best way to have a good time with kids in the garden is to have fun and engaging activities planned for them. "We took an old boot and we made it into a container, and we spray painted it, something that wont run. We put dirt in it. We filled it up, poked some holes in the bottom made sure there was drainage, we filled it with soil and then we planted this basil plant in there," Snell says. One of Tristans favorites is a seat made out of grass. "A turf seat!" Snell explains. "We went to the store and looked for a flower pot that was low, and we put bricks at the bottom, dirt the top and grass and its just the right height for someone to sit down." Again, have your kids place bricks in the container. Add dirt, and then put a plant like clover on the top. Another fun thing for kids is the strawberry tower. All you need is a couple of colorful kids sand buckets and soil, then layer them on top of each other. "You can put this somewhere in your garden, and have strawberries all summer long," Snell says. Kids love to feel like their work is important, so give them a hose, let them water and watch your garden grow together.