Cowpie Creek Gifts: Organic Gardening

In most parts of the country, Spring is springing, the birdies are singing, and we're itching to play in the dirt and plant something. If you're a competent gardener, this is your time to shine, and show your neighbors that your green thumb is still alive and kicking. If you're ecologically-conscious, as we all should be, the best one thing we can all do is plant an organic vegetable garden. Not only does it save money, it's an ecologically-sound project, and will help the earth in so many ways. It's also a good idea to get your kids involved. Kids are fascinated by gardens...especially vegetable gardens....and learn that our food isn't grown in grocery stores.

PLANTING AN ORGANIC GARDEN

Gardens are magical, fun, and always full of surprises. Watch a child pull a carrot from the earth, brush off the soil, and take a bite, or see the anticipation in the eyes of a youngster creating a bouquet of flowers she grew. There is a natural magnetic attraction between children and the earth, whether it's making mud or discovering a germinating seed emerge from the earth. Gardening with children, from toddlers to adolescents, opens new windows in a world dominated by technology.

Whether you are an accomplished gardener or a novice, gardening with children is your chance to partner with Mother Nature to make magic. Don't worry about achieving horticultural perfection. Just dig in and grow something beautiful or good to eat. Your garden is your treasure chest; you and your young gardener-exploring together-can discover its priceless bounty for an afternoon's delight or for a lifetime.

Memories last longer than one season. Adults who fondly remember a childhood spent in a garden often recall a parent, grandparent, or neighbor who guided and encouraged them to explore the natural world. Jim Flint, executive director of Friends of Burlington Gardens, in Vermont, takes pride in planting a straight row, which he learned from his father, and in preparing food he's grown himself, which his mother taught him. His strongest memory of gardening in childhood, however, is of being with his grandmother. In the garden, "she talked and explained things, and not just gardening."

Flint gardens with his own children and has helped hundreds of other children become involved in school and community gardening. At first, he says, they just play in the garden, "grazing" on vegetables. Incorporate planting and play, and kids become more comfortable. We can teach even the tiniest child garden etiquette, such as where to walk. Later, they learn the consequences of good (or poor) care: watering, weeding, cultivating.

Moreover, both kids and adults learn patience in the garden. We have to wait for nature to take its course. "Keep kids' gardens simple," Flint advises, "and a manageable size, about 6 by 10 feet." Begin with only a few seed or plant varieties that grow quickly, and give the children tasks appropriate to their age and skill level. Watering is a favorite and even weeding can be.

The pathway to better health and nutrition is right outside the door. Of course gardening offers great opportunities for exercise, fresh air, and good food. "Growing their own food expands a young person's choice of foods, a key to good nutrition," Flint notes. "If they have grown up on home-grown and homemade food, they can taste the difference." Most Americans live in cities and are removed from their food sources. Will Allen, director of Growing Power, a nationally recognized nonprofit organization that promotes urban agriculture, believes we need to reconnect our youth with the land-right now. For him, it all comes down to the soil. "It's just such a healthy, therapeutic thing to teach about the living soil. Kids can be wired, and they calm down when they work in the soil. To eat something you produce is a worthwhile and meaningful thing."

Though success is relative in the world of gardening, positive experiences do help sustain interest for kids. One child learns that worms are not just slimy and gross; they are garden friends. Another masters the art of measuring his growing corn stalk. A third extends garden learning at the computer. A fourth pulls a carrot from the earth, brushes it off, and eats it. All have had successful experiences. You can guide a child to have his or her own successful gardening experience, but you must explore yourself. You and they must learn from your mistakes. Celebrate wonder. The key to success and sustained interest lies within you and the little gardener(s) with whom you plant the seeds of hope-which is, of course, what a seed is and what a garden is-a promise of what will come.

Top Tips for Novice Gardeners

1. Choose a site with as much sun as possible! If there is no sunny space, you can still plant a garden. Simply choose plants that thrive in shade.

2. Have your soil tested so you know its acidity or alkalinity. (Contact your local extension office or visit csrees.usda.gov.) Treat your soil and garden organically. Don't use chemical pesticides or fertilizers.

3. Do not plan too large a garden. It is far better to begin with a small plot and increase the garden's size when the gardener is ready.

4. Dig the earth in your chosen garden site to loosen the soil. Add some compost to enrich it. Rake it smooth.

5. Keep the garden plan simple. Allow plenty of space for paths (at least 24 inches) and easy access to each plant (no more than a 24-inch stretch).

6. Choose only a few varieties of plants to begin. Add others as you and your young gardener learn how much space and how much attention your garden requires.

7. Choose plants and seeds that are appropriate for your site- sun-loving plants for sunny areas, shade-loving plants for shade. Ask before you buy plants; read the instructions on the seed packet before purchasing.

8. Choose good-quality tools that fit your young gardener's hands. Plastic "toy tools" are not adequate. Many garden tool manufacturers make child-size tools. Ask at your local garden center or check mail-order catalogs. Use tools properly. For safety's sake, never leave a shovel, hoe, or rake with its "working side" up. When it's not in use, stand or lean it securely against a vertical surface, such as a fence or building. Or lay it down, turning the blade/tines toward the ground.

9. As you and your companion(s) begin to plant, offer reasonable instruction, but do not be too particular. Seeds do not need to be planted in a straight row. Plant them in a circle or in a free-form design, or scatter them. Never cry over spilled seed.

10. Try not to walk in the garden right after it rains. It compresses the soil and makes it hard.

11. Wait until the soil is moist before you try weeding. Then pull each weed gently, from its base, to remove the whole root.

12. Another option for those with limited space is to plant in containers. A flowerbox or large flowerpot can brighten your deck, balcony, windowsill, stoop, or stairway. Choose seeds and plants appropriate for the size of the container. (See "Sprouts for Sprouts" below.)

13. Harvest the fruits and blossoms of your garden with wonder and love- and share them with family and friends.

Article courtesy of Marti Ross Bjornson and www.organicgardening.com

Check out the great gardening shoes, gardening t-shirts, gardening mug, and travel mug! What great gifts for that special organic gardener in your life!