Growing Children in the Garden
As I've told almost everyone on steem, we're moving soon. We're tired of renting and ready to make a home. We should be in the house completely in the next three or four weeks.
One of the things I've always wanted to do is make a garden. When we told the kids we were going to move, the first thing my daughter said was "daddy, I want a garden."
She picked carrots and red bell peppers. Things she doesn't usually eat, but I'm hoping it'll help for her to grow them herself.
I hosted a contest a little while back asking folks for ideas what to grow. I have yet to buy lemons, but they're still on the list. The other winner recommended Tiny Tim Tomatoes. In the words of the late great -God rest his soul- Guy Clark, "there's only two things that money can't buy, that's true love and homegrown tomatoes."
So I bought two types: Tiny Tim and Big Rainbow. They looked pretty lol
Most of the money spent on this project went to seedsnow.com and the rest was spent at our local feed store. Around $36 total.
I plan to start some seeds soon in the egg cartons with some seed starting pods from seedsnow. I bought 50, which may be overkill. That's a good thing.
I also got some clover seeds. I want to attract bees because I've read that they scare off wasps. Clover does that, boosts soil nitrogen, and helps anyone nearby that has bees. It's a mutual benefit thing that I'm hoping pays off. I've always liked watching bees on clover. I hope the kids listen to me and don't disturb them.
Marigold supposedly wards off pests that like tomatoes. Aphids, horn worms, and the like. It seems a safe and natural preventive measure that will add some color to the garden. I've also heard that marigold has some health benefits when consumed, so I'll have to look into that as we go. Sophie thinks they're pretty too, so maybe it'll help me get her out there with me. Do yourself a favor and look up images of marigolds and tomatoes planted together. It's really pretty, but I don't want to violate anyones photo rights by copying the photos here.
I'm really looking forward to this process and so are the kids. More updates to come as we close on the house and start preparing to move in. Soil prep is going to be fun, as I will be using only hand tools for now. A good motivation to keep the garden pretty small this time around.
Stay relevant y'all :)
Nate
How wonderful! My daughters name is Sophie, well Sophia but we call her Sophie! Tomatoes are fun to grow. Once they start producing, its so much fun to go out with the kiddo and pick them. I love that your daughter picked veggies she doesnt normally eat!
The marigolds DO work to keep away pests. We did that last year and it seemed to work wonderfully.
I had never heard of the clovers bringing in the bees! Thats super cool. I dont know about them keeping away wasps but feeding the bees is enough for me! We actually have clovers that grow in large patches through the yard. Maybe thats why the bees have been around more lately, even without or flowers growing yet!
Thanks for sharing and I hope you plants grow beautifully! Bounties of veggies! :)
This one is Sophia too. We call her Sop because that's what the baby calls her lol
Clover are usually pretty common here, I just didn't know if this property had any yet. I plan to plant them uphill from the garden so that the nitrogen can work it's way down to the plants. Not sure if that's actually how it works, but that's how I'm gonna try it lol
Hah! Doesnt hurt to try, right!! ;)
Awesome stuff, I have to get mine going as well. Strawberries I planted last year survived the winter!
That's great! I think we'll do more berries next year, but I'm not sure what kind yet. That's not something I've ever done.
Its great that you include your daughter in your planting! Teach them young and theyll grow to appreciate the process and the outcome!
That was certainly my mother's approach, and it seems to have worked :)