Preparing for the Winter Months: Gardening in October When you feel that first solid bite in the breeze and you see the songbirds winging their way south, and the trees are bursting with fire-laden hues, you know you can't be spending the weekend curled up by the fireplace with a good book. Not for long. While the weather is still gardener-friendly, you must shorten your "to-do"...

Gardening for Kids

Judy Williams

Children are continually bombarded with advertising for fast food and unhealthy treats. One of the most important lessons you can teach them is how to tend and grow their own food from the garden.

There are plenty of quick and easy projects that the children can get involved in. The projects will teach them about nutrition, nature, recycling and organic gardening. That's a good outcome!

The no dig garden is a particularly good project for children because the garden can be built and planted in just a couple of hours. You do not have to prepare the garden for weeks in advance, as with other growing methods. There are detailed instructions for building a no dig garden on my website (www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com). If a full on garden seems too ambitious at the start, try something simpler.

Growing bean shoots is the quickest way to grow edible things. In just a few days, the kids will be able to pop fresh bean shoots in a salad or sandwich or just eat them as they come. This will also work with alfalfa, cress and snow pea seeds. Put the seeds into a clean, wide mouth jar and place a mesh material over the mouth. It must be a material that water and air can pass through, but not the seeds. A bit of discarded pantyhose secured with a rubber band will do. Soak the seeds overnight in water. Next morning, drain the excess water and place the jar on its side in a bright room, near a window. A couple of times a day, re-wet the seeds, drain and return to the bright space. The seeds will sprout and grow very quickly and within a few days will be ready to eat.

To propagate your own garden seedlings build this portable greenhouse! Wash a 2Lt plastic bottle (soft drink or soda water type) and using a knife or sharp scissors, cut it in half along one side. Force it open and fill one side with good quality potting mix. Plant your seeds and water gently. A very light mixture of water and liquid fertilizer will kick start the seeds. Close the bottle back up and seal with tape. Place the bottle in a sunny position. Your seedlings should be well on their way and ready for repotting in 2-4 weeks.

Do you know very young children? Introduce them to Hairy Harry! Take one of those pairless socks every household has and sew on some eyes and other facial features. Put some lawn seed in the sock end and fill with garden soil, potting mix or compost. Fill the sock until the face is filled out and tie a knot in the sock, making sure the mix inside is packed tightly. Water the sock regularly, or prop it on top of a container with water. The loose end of the sock will act as a wick to draw up the moisture. Place in a sunny position. In a couple of days, Harry will have a full head of green hair! In a couple of weeks, he will be ready for a hair cut or styling makeover!

Children love eating things fresh from a garden. For convenience, you might want to plant close to the kitchen where the children can harvest items under your watchful eye. So consider doing quick growing plants in containers. Cress, radishes and lettuce will be ready the quickest in 6-8 weeks. Next in line are dwarf beans, cucumber, cabbage, tomatoes and onion which will be ready in 8-12 weeks. Most others, including the popular carrots and potatoes will need 16-20 weeks to mature. You could be harvesting from this little garden for months!

Encourage your children to nurture their little garden, which ever project you choose. It's a great way to teach them practical skills and fill them forever with the wonder of nature.

About the author: Judy Williams (www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com) aspires to become a fulltime earth mother goddess. This site acts as a primer for all vegetable gardening aspects covering topics like how to build a garden, nurture seedlings, container gardening and composting.

The latest information and news on Gardening:

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Top Ten 2009 Gardening Trends (Lexington Clipper-Herald)
(ARA) - Americans craving authenticity and fretting over a bleak economy have reinvigorated the trend to grow-it-yourself (GIY). From blueberries to houseplants, GIY is the new mantra as folks turn "back to the future" to simplify their lives while gardening for the greener good.
Plot user touts gardening benefits (The Naperville Sun)
Gardener Julie Federico says she is OK with Option 1A, with one caveat. "As long as I could still get a plot where they're located on West Street," Federico said. "I could continue to walk or bike there." Federico has participated in the garden plots program for the last five or six years. She began gardening on a plot with a friend, but has been tending a plot on her own for at least the last ...
Gardening events (The Jackson Sun)
If you're looking for gardening tips, you can't afford to miss the Southern Home & Garden Expo with more than 1,500 exhibitors representing home design, remodeling and landscaping Jan. 16 -18 at the Agricenter International, 7777 Walnut Grove Road in Memphis.
City to offer classes on herbs, organics, gardening (This Week Olentangy)
The city of Powell will offer three classes this winter and spring on organic housecleaning, gardening and herbs.
5 Tips for Hydroponics Gardening (PIZZAHEROS)
When seeds first sprout, they are said to be germinating. In hydroponic gardening, this happens within a growing medium, which can be any number of things. The best choices are composted bark, expanded clay, gravel, peat moss or sand.
Plant Exchange: Gardening Is Local Woman?s ?True Hobby? (Yankton Press & Dako...
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Keep Gardening In Winter With Spice (Yankton Press & Dakotan)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. ? At her family-run herb farm in Vacaville, Calif., Rose Loveall-Sale hears the same question often this time of year.
U. of I. Extension offers gardening program (Villa Park Argus Press Spectator)
Four Seasons Gardening, a 12-session program presented by University of Illinois Extension, will cover a wide array of gardening and landscaping topics.
Library plans free gardening classes in Murfreesboro (The Tennessean)
Linebaugh Public Library System is offering a new set of free classes devoted to nature, gardening and "do-it-yourself" nature activities.
Start Spring Early with Indoor Gardening (Lexington Clipper-Herald)
(ARA) - Let's face it -- February, March and April can be gray and dreary months. You're more than ready for spring to begin, but Mother Nature is on a different schedule.