Last year, we converted a patch of grassy area in our backyard into a vegetable garden. We planted some zucchinis, herbs and fruits. Although a ton of zucchinis sprouted everywhere and the rosemary was growing out of control, not all herbs or vegetables made the cut.
Sadly, we love to garden, but we don’t have a green thumb. We are still learning, and we will keep trying until we get it right. Gardening is stress-free and we both love to spend our free time nurturing the fruits and vegetables so we can harvest and eat after. This is a healthy, affordable activity we highly recommend if you have time.
We think it is important to teach our kids about gardening because it is educational and can help them develop new skills like responsibility, self-confidence, love of nature, nutrition, and creativity.
For the past year or so the twins have taken an interest of the little garden in the backyard. They have seen their mama planting some of their favorite fruits and constantly asking when they can eat the blueberries and strawberries. Our usual answer was growing these fruits take time and we need to feed them with water and fertilizer so that they will grow big. That piqued their interest and they’ve been wanting to take part in learning how to garden since.
Well, now that they are four and since their ADD level has shrunk a bit we thought it would be fun to show them how to garden. We kept the process very simple; we took them to the nursery and let them pick out the herbs. Once we have the herbs we let them choose an area within the garden for planting. Once an area is chosen we showed them how to dig in the dirt using lightweight, easy-to-handle garden tools. Once planted they both took turns to water the plant and the entire garden.
Once a week, we take them to the backyard and show them the progress of their hard work. They now want to plant other vegetables and fruits. Who knew a patch of grassy area turned vegetable garden can save us cash as well as provide added nutrition and fun for the entire family.
Disclosure: Thank you Kimberly-Clark for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are my own.
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