Garden writer Susan Mulvihill issues a challenge for you to get kids involved in growing a garden. Includes tips and plant suggestions. From Susan’s in the Garden, SusansintheGarden.com.

Kids in the Garden: Everyone Can Grow A Garden (2019) #2

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7 Comments

  • John Ambrogio

    Hi Susan, I have been teaching my grandchildren the joys of gardening ever since they were about 5 or 6 y/o. Now they are 16 and 14 but still enjoy coming over and helping me in the garden. I also have a 2 1/2 y/o grandson whom I watch while my daughter and son-in-law work. He loves picking my pole beans and whatever he can reach. Four years ago two little girls moved in next door, who were 5 and 3. I made them a 4X6 garden, which they planted, lettuce, snow peas, tomato and a pepper plant. It was their job to take care of it for the summer, with my help. Since then, their mother has told me that they are eating more vegetables then ever.

  • Jodi Kennedy

    Hey Susan, I LOVE your videos! One idea… I and many of my friends only watch UTube on our phones (usually while multitasking). In the UTube feed it is impossible to know what your video is about because your two headings take up so much space. I’ve always felt that if your Vlog name was abbreviated and people could see what the Vlog was about it would be very helpful. Right now it says “everyone can grow a garden”. episode 10. “ instead it could say “Karen’s Garden: How to Engage Children ” or something like that :-). I really, honestly believe that you should have more viewers and that more people would love to see your videos if they could more easily see what they were about. I genuinely love your videos and look forward to them every week! Thanks for everything 🙂

  • Lady Wisdom Speaks! Academy

    Thanks for sharing this information! This is something that I am thinking of participating in with the neighborhood elementary school. I also want to work with urban dwellers who want to plant and eat their own food. I think your advice will work great for beginning gardeners. I will share your video with some FaceBook group, CEEDS4Change.

  • Danielle Bradley

    Great video, as usual Susan! Some of my most favorite memories that I am making with my children happen in the garden. If I may, I will add a few suggestions. If a child’s play structure has a sunny spot near by I suggest growing dwarf blue curled vates kale. My three girls love to play house and tea party and it is so much more special to them when they can have real food, so we grow kale near by and the only rule is that if you pick it you must eat it. Of course parents should use their own judgement regarding if their kids would just start eating anything they found growing without regard to what it is. My kids are pretty savvy with this, but an abundance of caution is why I don’t grow rhubarb now. Dwarf blue curled vates holds up especially well to tugging but is pretty tender to chew and plenty within a small patch always pulls through to the heat of summer for us and I never have to worry if the kids are getting enough veggies! Another suggestion is growing cherry tomatoes in up-side-down planters. Although yields are considerably lower, they are fascinating to children and we have had a few funny tomato eating contests where the children tie their hands behind their backs and eat as many tomatoes dangling from the planters as they can get in a minute. It’s very funny to watch. My last suggestion is a compliment to your suggestion of growing radishes. Even pretty mild ones my children find unappetizing fresh from the garden so we pick a bunch, wash them and remove the greens and roast them with a little olive oil and salt. They taste really sweet and mild this way and they look like muted pink gum balls so of course kids, especially girls love them because there are not too many really pink veggies.
    Again great video and topic!

  • Danielle Bradley

    Great video, as usual Susan! Some of my most favorite memories that I am making with my children happen in the garden. If I may, I will add a few suggestions. If a child’s play structure has a sunny spot near by I suggest growing dwarf blue curled vates kale. My three girls love to play house and tea party and it is so much more special to them when they can have real food, so we grow kale near by and the only rule is that if you pick it you must eat it. Of course parents should use their own judgement regarding if their kids would just start eating anything they found growing without regard to what it is. My kids are pretty savvy with this, but an abundance of caution is why I don’t grow rhubarb now. Dwarf blue curled vates holds up especially well to tugging nut is pretty tender to chew and plenty within a small patch always pulls through to the heat of summer for us and I never have to worry if the kids are getting enough veggies! Another suggestion is growing cherry tomatoes in up-side-down planters. Although yields are considerably lower, they are fascinating to children and we have had a few funny tomato eating contests where the children tie their hands behind their backs and eat as many tomatoes dangling from the planters as they can get in a minute. It’s very funny to watch. My last suggestion is a compliment to your suggestion of growing radishes. Even pretty mild ones my children find unappetizing fresh from the garden so we pick a bunch, wash them and remove the greens and roast them with a little olive oil and salt. They taste really sweet and mild this way and they look like muted pink gum balls so of course kids, especially girls love them because there are not too many really pink veggies.
    Again great video and topic!

  • Debra Flanagan

    Really enjoyed your video. Broke down a bunch of those different things to grow going to look for them. I love all your knowledge that you share with us. Really helps

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