Perfect Gardening Space For Kids

Today I wanted to share a guest post with you. It talks about one of my favorite topics - gardening! Enjoy and see you tomorrow.

Perfect Gardening Space For Kids
By Amanda C Smathers

As a child some of my fondest memories were in the garden. Our family kept about an acre of land that was dedicated to a yearly garden. We kept everything from corn, tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, garlic, strawberries, cucumbers, green beans, potatoes, and onions. We would spend hours outside watering, weeding and picking fresh vegetables. Now grown up and living the suburbs the space for a large garden is not available but I still want my daughter to be fascinated with the growth of plants.

If you want to experience a garden with your children without all the work involved of a large garden then try one of these ideas that work great for small spaces. Gardens come in all sizes. A simple flower bed along a house can be a great place to grow vegetables. Large pot planters can be perfect for growing peppers or tomatoes on a patio. Or create or buy raised garden beds that can be 4 x 4 feet or 8 x8 feet.

To have success with your garden, you should start with good soil. If you are lucky enough to have good topsoil then you need to do very little except rototill your soil. For small areas a shovel and rake will work fine. If you live near the beach or in very dry climates you may need to purchase top soil at a local store or by the bucket at a mulch center. Moisture Control garden soil is great for first time gardeners. If you forget to water the plants daily the soil will still be moist because of the time release.

Container gardening only works if there is proper drainage. Drill additional holes if the water does not drain quickly after each watering. Raise the container at least an inch off the ground. Use a fertilizer for vegetables once every seven to ten days. Five gallon window boxes work great for most vegetables. Opt for 5 gallon pots or bushel baskets for larger plants such as tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, squash, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and carrots. Potato plants will grow in stacked tires filled with soil. Plant on top and the roots and grow the potatoes.

For raised beds choose your favorites or keep a garden only for salads. Several raised beds allow for more plant types. Squash and cucumbers need to be planted in multiples in order to self fertilize and grow.

This year my three year old and I planted two raised beds of salad mix with leaf lettuce, spinach, grape tomatoes, and orange sweet peppers and herbs. Spinach is nice because unlike leaf lettuce you can freeze and can it to eat during the winter. My daughter loves eating ripe tomatoes and helping to collect the salad greens. She is also becoming a big help with the up keep by watering and weeding. The garden can be seen right outside the window so she enjoys watching them grow.

Enjoy your home vegetable garden!

Amanda is the owner of http://www.babysnuginbed.com. We have gifts for new moms, babies and toddlers. Customized Diaper Cakes are available as gifts and for baby shower decorations in your theme and colors at great prices. Also like us at http://www.facebook.com/Babysnuginbed.com.

Article Source:  Perfect Gardening Space For Kids