This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Miracle-Gro for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
I love spring. It’s when I get to plan out my gardens and rearrange everything I messed up the previous year and improve everything I finally got right. See, I was raised around gardens my whole life and both of my parents are amazing gardeners not only in vegetables but in flowers and plants as well. Yet somehow I realized that no one ever taught me how. My parents had found it a way to relax and something they enjoyed doing and usually did it while I played or did other things around the yard.
When I got older and started my own garden I had wished I’d paid a lot more attention to what my parents had done. How’d they get so many peppers? What was the trick to getting such tall basil? Why did everything I grow die? I’d want them to share all their secrets and give me their best tips. After just a few years my tips to anyone starting would be:
1. Know your sunlight – Sunlight is essential to growing a good garden. If you don’t have an adequate amount of sunlight many of your plants won’t thrive.
2. Water every day. Your plants depend on this and without enough water your plants won’t grow to their full potential. Also don’t water after dusk.
3. Invest is good tools – You don’t need many of them but make sure the ones you invest in are quality made.
4. Use Miracle-Gro. Soil is where it all starts. Using good soil ensures your plants start with the best to grow their best.
5. Get Help – Gardens are a lot of work. Teach your children how to help and you’ll always have extra hands available to make the process easier.
As my children have grown I’ve always gotten them involved in gardening. I start them out small and once they have it I usually give them free range. I’ve talked a lot before about how Johnny has his own garden and he now gets to pick exactly what he wants to grow in it. The only rule we have is that you tend to what you plant.
This year Gavin is helping me with all my container plants. While helping me to maintain all my container plants he has his first big planter with two separate seeds to take care of himself. It’s easy to “help” and not realize the amount of work that goes into it and not realize how often it needs to be cared for and having this will help him understand.
Since Sawyer is now two we start him with just getting to know the ground and the tools. My herb garden doesn’t get enough sun and for now it’s making a great area for Sawyer to play with his shovel and rake. He’ll also be able to play with the dirt until we figure out how to best use the space.
Teaching my children how to Gro Something Greater means so much to me. I’m not only finding a way to spend valuable family time with them but I’m also teaching them a life skill and helping them appreciate the outdoors. They love when all their hard work pays off and they get to start collecting all the fruits and vegetables they’ve grown. Getting to use them in meals and bring them to the table is a huge reward and gives them a great sense of pride!
How do you involve your kids in your garden?
We need to pick up some plants and Miracle Gro products this weekend. My son is 4 years old and he loves the accomplishment of growing plants. I think that he is going to appreciate it even more this year now that he is a little older.
awwww!!! Look at Sawyer with his little shovel!! My kids LOVE gardening. I wish I was more in love with it, I know we’d do it more 🙂
I normally have a BLACK thumb, but this year, i am planning on growing my own lettuces, spinach and herbs!
The boys and I plant flowers every yer on Mother’s day. It’s their gift to me. Right now I have to help them but my secret plan is to instill a love of it in them so that one day they will do this for me on their own.
I love using Miracle Gro I am pretty sure it is the only reason some of my plants make it. i have a horrible black thumb when it comes to gardening.
i love having a garden. i just cleanded out the garden bed aand now it’s waiting for some plants
What a sweet pic of your cutie with his gardenig tools! Love that! Its such a great skill to teach kids early!
I love that each of your children have their own age appropriate garden project. Not only are you teaching them, it sounds like you all bond over gardening as well.
That’s great that your children eventually have their own garden! What a great way to teach about ownership and responsibility!!
Today my daughter & I spent the day at our local botanical garden. We took a hands on enrichment class. Keeping our finger crossed our seeds sprout.
Love seeing kids involved in a family garden. Great tips!
I love how he is in the garden helping you! So cute, great tips.
Kids love to help with gardening and we can only hope they carry it through to adulthood.
Such an important skill to teach your kids. Besides how to grow their own food, it teaches them appreciation, patience and the value of real labor. My kids are out with me in the garden every day. Despite being on a huge farm, I still always keep my own garden too.
I’ve only managed to get things to grow inside, but my son does love to help me with that. He helps plant the seeds and water them- at least for a few days, before he forgets completely! He’s young, though.
Getting your kids involved in gardening is a wonderful thing for them. I know my son is more apt to eat a vegetable he planted, watered, tended to, and picked himself. 🙂
I’m jealous of your planter area plus that you have that much experience in growing. I can’t keep anything alive to save a soul. I try and try but never makes it.
My daughter enjoyed her carrot patch last year 🙂
Great tips! The picture of your son digging is too cute! Knowing your light is important, we had to watch ours for a week or so to know exactly where it was, how much was getting there and whatnot.
I love that you garden with your kids. My parents used to have us kids have a kid garden, which helped us be hands on and actually learn what to do. We have a few herbs and tomatoes growing right now, but our Florida climate is very different for gardening than the northern climate I grew up in. We also have a huge mango tree, avocado trees, lime and lemon trees and pineapple plants.