Give kids the gardening bug with easy projects
By LaVERLE McCANDLESS
Contributor
“They tell us that plants are perishable, soulless creatures, that only man is immortal, but this, I think, is something that we know very nearly nothing about.” John Muir.
Here is a man I admire for all he has done for all of us in his lifetime. When you have a few minutes, check out his life and doings on your computer. Wow! I have read this quote a few times and started to think about the trees that are being stressed by disease, insects and damage done by one means or another. These are the trees that the insects head to first and do more damage. Does this ailing tree send out a signal of some type to invite insects to come on over and “finish it off?” Is the signal a sound or a scent? This could be something for you to think about too.
In horticultural classes from Master Gardeners and other classes, we were told there is a signal but no teacher had an answer what the signal was. However, we all know if you keep your plants healthy they are not so susceptible to most insects flocking to them. There is always an exception to this theory; either there is a huge amount of aphids or they don't care where they stop and eat as long as it is usually green!
Not only are grownups getting a bit tired of winter hanging on but so are the children. Most children love to learn from their parents and if you are having a great time in the garden, they will too. Each of them can have a square foot of garden space of their very own starting out. They can have the joy of seeing a seed sprout, planting that seedling to a small pot, maybe with this extended winter weather (as I am typing—snow and hail is falling), transplanting the plant to a larger pot.
Here's a quick way to get the child interested in seeding. Once again, the easiest and quickest seed to germinate and transplant is the tomato seed/seedling. Dampen a square of paper toweling, place two or three tomato seeds on one side of the damp toweling, fold it over, place it in a clear plastic zip lock bag, date the bag and label it with “three (name) tomato seeds” and place the bag on top of the fridge. In three to five days, there should be some germination. What fun for the child to see the little root starting out of each seed. Fill a small 3- to 3 1/2-inch pot with dampened potting soil, have the child very gently or you as the parent, show them how to gently move the seed and root from the towel to the top of the soil. Do not press down! Spray the seed gently to get it nestled into the soil, then place 1/2-inch of damped potting soil gently on top of the seed/root. Spray this soil down around the seed/root. If it still shows, more soil on top and spray again. Make sure no part of the seed/root shows through the soil.
Place the pot where it is warm in lots of light but not direct sun light (when there is some) so you don't parboil the baby seedling. More fun and this is when the tomato really does its fastest growth spurt, in about two days, you will see the seed leaves poking through the soil, maybe in a day. This all depends on where the pot is and the light, heat and if little fingers stay out of the soil looking for the seed.
Take them with you to a nursery and let them pick out a plant or two that grows quickly. Remember, their patience is a little shorter when it comes to gardening than most grownups. Something that is bright, has a nice scent and is quick growing and may attract butterflies. You all know how youngsters like butterflies.
There are several plants that are quick to gro and won't take up all the space in your little plot. Try the pansy. They look like little faces, which the kids should enjoy, come in all kinds of reds and pinks and smell like allspice. Poppies, cosmos, and newer dwarf sunflowers are all good too. Columbine do take a little longer but they offer such unique, pretty flowers, and zinnias are good for hot areas of the property. Snapdragons are always fun to show the children how to make them “snap.” Be sure to encourage scary dragon sound effects. Oops! You may have to go to a 24” x 24” spot now. Have fun! Oh yes, there are child size gardening tools which makes it even more fun for them.
Don't forget to mark your May calendar on Saturday, 21 May 2011 starting at 8:30 a.m. the Gardeners of Cheney will be having their annual spring plant sale at Mitchells Harvest Food parking lot. Lots of great plants; annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs and more will be available again this year.
Questions should be directed to LaVerle at (509) 455-7568 or laverle905@gmail.com.
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