Nothing says happiness like gardening!

I love gardening!  I have loved gardening ever since I was a little girl and helping my mother and grandmother in their gardens.  I enjoyed planting the seeds, watering the flowers, singing to the plants and eating the fresh fruits and  veggies! When we bought our house, a garden was the first thing I asked my husband to build for me! The thought of being able to grow my own herbs, fruits and vegetables really excited me!  I find gardening so peaceful and rewarding and it’s a passion of mine that I get to share with our 3 daughters!

 

Here is my top 5 reasons Why Children Should Learn to Garden

 

  1. Patience

    Children need to understand that growing food in a garden takes time.  The concept of time doesn’t come easy for a lot of kids. So the best thing to do is create a gardening calendar and put estimated dates on it when the vegetables or fruits will start to grow, be in full bloom and finish so they can count down the downs until they get to pick those peas or strawberries.

  2. Appreciation

    Many people don’t have an appreciation about where their food comes from and how labour intensive it could be to put that freshly cooked meal on their table, or eating a entree at the restaurant.  This is why we need to start educating our children about the appreciation of food and not to waste food or take eating healthy, home grown vegetables and fruits for granted.

  3. Responsibility

    It’s a lot of work to have a garden.  You need to make sure the soil is prepared and fertilized.  Then you need to decide what seeds your going to buy and layout where everything is going to go (I learnt the hard way last year and my pumpkin plant took over my entire garden!).  Then you plant your seeds, water your garden, hoe and weed the garden and put up fences so animals don’t get in.  You typically can’t just plant the seeds and walk away and come back in 3 months and expect a thriving garden! You need to put in the hard work to see the benefits of planting a garden!

  4. Family time

    My favourite reason why children should learn to garden!  This is the time we are outside and spending time together as a family.  My daughter’s help me with the garden right from the beginning. From picking out the seeds in the store, planting them, watering the garden, pulling the weeds in the soil to picking the fruit and vegetables that we get to eat!

  5. Sense of Accomplishment

    The smile on a child’s face when they accomplish something is priceless! When the first strawberry turns red and they pick it and eat it right from the garden or when they help dig up the carrots and wash them to eat for dinner that night.  They realize that their hard work and dedication of having a garden was worth the wait!

No matter if you have raised garden planters or a huge garden in your backyard, allow your children to join in on the fun and let them be little gardeners!!

 

xo Rachelle

 

 

 

Momentum Health & Wellness