A garden means different things to different people. For some, it’s flowers; for others, it’s food. No matter where your gardening interests lie, there are many things you and your kids or grandkids can do to make gardening a fun learning experience!
Vegetables
Most kids will claim not to like vegetables. However, if you let them pick the vegetables and they see them start as seeds, grow to plants and eventually produce, you’ll find they just might be excited to try what they’ve grown! One easy way to get started is to use cardboard egg cartons. Put some potting soil in each indentation, have them stick their finger in and add a few seeds. Keep them watered and give them sunlight, and have your kids document what changes they see each day.
Once they are a few inches high, buy gardening gloves and a spade and help your kids plant them outside. Keep watching the changes and keeping track of the growth.
Flowers
There are lots of ways to have a beautiful flower garden, and there are many different types of flowers and gardens. If your child loves butterflies, look up local flowering plants that attract butterflies, then head to your local grower and let them pick the plants and colors. Teach them to read how tall each plant will grow and how far apart they need to be planted. This is a great way to combine math and ecology in your own yard!
Another idea is to check out some options for wildflowers that bees like. Teach your child how bees make their honey and that a bee isn’t to be feared because without them, we wouldn’t have food. Keep in mind that you’ll want to make sure your gutters aren’t overflowing into the flower garden or the blossoms may be harmed. One way to make sure is to have clean gutters with rain gutter shields.
Indoor Option
If you don’t have the space outside to plant a garden, there are many ways to create a great garden inside. The most basic and inexpensive is to use an old milk container. This is a great way to grow herbs! Of course, you can splurge for several pots but re-purposing milk cartons can be fun as each one can be decorated to coordinate with what’s being planted inside.
Another indoor idea is to use some of the foods you already have around the house to see if they’ll grow. For example, if you like green onions, buy organic and use the stem down to the bulb. Put the bulb in water then watch the plant regrow! Organic avocados also will grow into plants. Simply place three toothpicks into the pit and submerge the bottom half (fat end) down into water. Eventually it will split and you’ll have an avocado plant! Once it is about six inches tall, you’ll want to plant it a pot.
Things to Remember
Most plants need regular watering – but not too much water. As long as you look at plants that are native to your area, you should have success growing them. Just beware that too much water at once can cause root rot. If you have an issue with clogged gutters and your garden is beneath your roof’s edge, you may easily end up with overflowing gutters and overwatered plants. Rain gutter shields can keep your gutters from becoming clogged.
Look into the cost of gutter guard systems if you’re making an investment in your garden. It will help your garden grow! Gutter Helmet® offers free estimates on the cost of gutter guard systems for your home. Call (800) 824-3772 or chat with one of our team members to schedule your appointment.
