Katina's Little Gardeners

My Garden Now and Then

2010-06-01T08:25:00.002-04:00

Last year, my garden was beautiful, growing and producing. Now, it's weed ridden. I haven't had much chance to do any gardening this year. I was thinking of going small this year and just having my front gardens. I want cukes, and zukes and squash and maybe some tomatoes and peppers. I can't forget the herbs.

I will likely get the kids to help me since my work schedule doesn't allow for much time to garden.

I will have to be patient for now and learn to let it come and go as it pleases.

Blessings,

Katina Mooneyham

End or Beginning

2009-07-27T13:22:00.002-04:00

I thought this blog would end. I originally even had an entry here to end it. But I let it go, let it drift, let it lay fallow, just as my gardens do in winter. I couldn't though let it go.

So I have decided to revamp the blog and continue it. It may be difficult and I have to go in a different direction with it. My kids are getting older and while not losing interest in gardening completely, they are losing time just as I am. It will take some time but I think I can put some more useful things up here soon.

Thanks for all who have visited over the years. I hope many more of you will continue.

Blessings,

Katina Mooneyham

Long Time...

2008-07-17T14:49:00.002-04:00

It's been a long time. Many things have gotten in the way of blogging. Life in general and things swiftly changing. But one thing hasn't changed. We still garden. We have a pretty productive garden so far this year. I hope that I can post more soon.

Blessings,

Katina Mooneyham

Deer John

2008-04-01T14:08:00.003-04:00

(This is the start of another blog a day writing month. This time I hope to get further by actually doing a blog a day! Last month, I joined but because of other things, couldn't actually participate. This month I am ready to take the challenge. Here goes...)

Dear Deer "John",

For years now, you've been coming into the yard. You've dined on the apples from the crab apple trees. You've tasted the fruit from the pear trees. You've eaten at the salad bar, added a meal of carrots and even taken some newly emerged corn sprouts. You've taken more than your fair share of food from other people's gardens. Well, no more!

I hope this letter gets to you in time. I will be adding up a fence to keep you out. Hopefully, the dog we have will scare you off the land and keep you from stalking our gardens. I understand that you need to feed you and your family. Please understand. This food also feeds my family. Take your garden meanderings to another field or place where you may browse freely. I am done.

Sincerly,

KM, the frugal gardener.

Rainy

2008-03-19T14:05:00.002-04:00

It's been raining all week. I was hoping to get out garden peas. The kids are ready to garden. How about you?

Here's to hoping for better weather.

KM

Motivation to Write

2008-02-27T11:38:00.001-05:00

Let me go slightly off topic for a bit.

I'd like to say that I want to blog more. I can make the time. But it seems that at the end of the day there's always tomorrow. And then it keeps going and I never do get to the darned thing. So I'm getting some outside help to blog everyday.

List of My Motivations:

1. Friends: My friends encourage me when they ask me questions or spur me on.
2. Family: Of course since my blogs are about doing things with kids, my family helps motivate me.
3. NaBloPoMo: What the heck is that, you say? It's short for National Blog Posting Month . They motivate you by giving themes for each month. The goal is to write at least one blog post each day.

KM

Kid's Garden Safety

2008-01-31T20:36:00.001-05:00

Kid's Garden Safety

When the kids are in the garden, safety is of the utmost priority. While gardening isn't like extreme sports, there can be dangers in the kid's garden as with many things. One concern many parents and teachers may face is gardening with harsh chemicals, fertilizers and other such hazards. Solve this problem by using organic gardening.

Wildlife dangers also exist. Learn the dangers of these wild creatures in the kid's garden.

Just follow basic safety rules and you'll enjoy gardening much more.

Happy gardening time (almost)!

KM

Free Seeds for Winter Sowing

2008-01-02T19:09:00.000-05:00

I came across a site through a gardening message group I am a member of. This site has information on winter sowing. For the price of an envelope and two stamps, you can get six packets of seeds. It's random I am sure. But it would make a great project for the kids to get these seeds. They can address the envelope and all that and get back free seeds.

Winter Sown: Free Seeds

In the meantime, you can plan the garden from all those garden catalogs I am sure many of you are receiving. Happy garden planning.

Winter Garden Hibernation

2007-12-28T06:21:00.000-05:00

Most things are hibernating during the winter. Even we tend to huddle up to the fires of the hearth and want to rest during winter. But that doesn't mean we should stop gardening. Gardening in winter? What...how do you do that, the kids may ask. There are many ways to get gardening stuff done in winter.

In places that are mild for winter (meaning places south in warmer climates), cool weather crops can still be grown. These garden crops include carrots, lettuce, radishes and many other greens (think kale, collards and chard, yum!). In places north, just planning the next year's garden can be enough to break out of the winter rut that many kids might get into.

Around Christmas and the new year, the garden catalogs start filtering in. Have the kids pick some things they'd like to grow this year. Start thinking about gardening and in no time you will be gardening. You can also start gardening indoors. So get out there and start getting into that gardening state of mind.

Happy Gardening to everyone.

KM

PS Here are a couple links to some helpful articles to start you on your winter gardening way.

1. Preparing for a Winter Garden's Sleep.
Prepare your kid's gardens for a winter sleep with these handy tips.

2. Planning This Year's Garden gives general advice for planning the best garden every year.

3. Seed Catalogs for Kids gives ideas for seed catalog use.

First Snows and Gardening

2007-12-05T12:43:00.000-05:00

What does the first snow of the year mean for our garden? One, it gives a blanket of insulation believe it or not. That means that in addition to the mulch that covers the gardens, the snow also helps keep in the warmth that still exists there. Two, we can bring the garden indoors.

We plan to have lettuce, maybe some radishes and some small Thumbelina carrots. Soon I will also be starting some seeds inside for next year's gardens. I have a better spot set up this year. It's near the kitchen area. I will better take care of it, it can be seen in the open and it will be right there when I am cooking so I can use more fresh herbs. The kids are excited about the snow. But soon they will be excited about the indoor gardens.

Want more ideas on how to make indoor gardening fun for kids? Check out Six Ways to Make Indoor Winter Gardening Fun. Then get to the indoor gardens. Happy indoor winter gardening.

KM

Say Good Night to the Garden

2007-11-19T17:50:00.000-05:00

A long good night.

How do you prepare the kid's gardens (and ultimately the kids) for the long winter's nap the garden will be taking?

There are many things you can do. Mulching is one of them. Read Preparing for a Winter's Sleep for more tips and ideas on how to prepare the garden for winter.

It can be hard to say a long good night. It's basically a good bye to the garden. It won't be forever though. Next spring you'll be digging in and planting.

Garden Careers for Kids

2007-11-02T10:00:00.000-04:00

Is your teenager considering a career in something? More likely he or she is. If your kids are into gardening, then perhaps you can explore a garden related career. Don't forget to discuss it with any school counselor and explore all the options. A garden related career can be highly rewarding and if kids have been gardening for a while, they've honed certain skills already that puts them ahead of the game.

Explore garden related careers for kids today and learn something new. Happy winter gardening!

KM

Indoor Gardening Fun

2007-11-01T12:17:00.000-04:00

If fall weather has hit your area, then no doubt as a gardener you'll feel it. While some gardeners keep gardening all year long, gardening indoors , most probably just quit until the weather warms up the next spring. For those kids gardeners, it's probably the worst time. They get bored to tears without their gardens.

Perhaps you can play a few garden games or even start an indoor herb garden. Check out some places my kid gardeners and I go to to pass the time.

The Flower Garden Game - Since I homeschool, this is an awesome fun game especially for my youngest ones. Plant your flower garden and learn math and critical thinking skills at the same time.
Park Seed Company- Not a game but it is fun to make a list of things you'd like to plant next year. Park Seed has gift certificates that are perfect gifts for gardeners for Christmas and other upcoming holidays.
Bloomin Gardens - Some of these games aren't just for learning, they're for fun!
Check out other home and garden information at Garden and Hearth. There's always something there no matter what season you're in.

Happy indoor, winter gardening or here's to hoping for the spring. Happy holidays too!

Katina M.

Those big (or small) orange pumpkins

2007-10-09T13:29:00.000-04:00

My kids love pumpkins almost as much as they do sunflowers or watermelon. Something about that big roundness that makes them giggle. Maybe it's when we carve faces onto them. Or paint faces on them or dress them up with hair and other such silly things.

Grow your own pumpkins. Check out the article Kid’s Garden Plant Profile: Pumpkins for more on this popular kid's garden plant. We can't wait until Halloween when our pumpkins will shine...

Happy Halloween, October and pumpkin time.

KM

Keeping Seeds

2007-09-29T14:04:00.000-04:00

The garden season has ended. We've watched our little garden grow up. Now, it's time to say goodbye. But the garden we've grown to love has given us a present. Finally, we can gather the seeds for next year.

Tips for Harvesting Seeds

1. Wait until seed heads mature.
2. Store seeds in a cool dry place. Moisture could bring mold.
3. Keep the seed heads intact for an automatic storage spot.

Read Keeping and Choosing Seeds for Next Year's Garden for more tips on keeping seeds for next season.

Pressing Your Own Garden Flowers

2007-09-12T16:11:00.000-04:00

Flower Presses and Accessories

Our flowers never seem to last long enough. Even the zinnias, cosmos and marigolds that last pretty long don't seem to stick around much. We can always press the flowers for later use and memories.

Press your garden flowers to use in crafts, holiday cards and scrapbooks. You really don't need any fancy flower press. But professional flower presses are nice. You can find some relatively cheap flower presses at most craft stores.

For more ideas to get your kids into pressing garden flowers check out How to Press Garden Flowers.

Happy garden flower pressing!

KM

A Kid's Harvest

2007-09-05T18:22:00.000-04:00

In the past we have had a harvest party in early September. This year, we had it much early. We had it nearly all summer long! The harvest this year in all the gardens including the kid's gardens was tremendous. Even though it is now fading quickly, it was worth the efforts we put forth.

Just in case you haven't gotten to the kid's garden harvest or are in the early throes of it...

What can you do to help the kid's garden harvest?

Keep on top of the harvest every day. Or at least every other day. Doing this will help keep the kids from getting overwhelmed.
If the weather is still mighty hot, give the kids a break! Give yourself one too. Have some lemonade.
Give younger kids only one garden or produce to harvest. This will ensure they are not overwhelmed.

Need information on how to harvest certain garden plants or more on how you can celebrate the harvest with the kids?

- A Kid's Harvest
- Harvest Fun
- Harvest Celebrations

Happy Harvesting!

The Garden Comes Full Circle

2007-09-04T20:03:00.000-04:00

Image by Katina Mooneyham

It seems like only yesterday the garden was vibrant with brilliant yellow squash, tall tender stalks of corn and high reaching green beans. But then death comes. It always does. And it always seems like its too early. But there's always next year.

We can bring gardening indoors. We can even have tomatoes and peppers growing indoors with the proper growing equipment like grow lights, peat pellets or garden starting supplies. But it won't be the same.

We can plan next year's garden. The kids love this. We brainstorm new ideas. We talk about what didn't work this past gardening season and what did work. We'll talk about garden things we didn't get to do this gardening season and plan to implement them in next year's garden. So really, gardening is a year round thing even in the coldest winters.

Ah! The harvest...It's time again for the harvest. What do you do for harvest? Plan a get together and have a harvest celebration.

Happy Harvesting!

KM

Tomato Hornworms Part Two

2007-08-23T16:36:00.000-04:00

What are some good deterrants for tomato hornworms? I've heard basil is a good one for general pests and tomato hornworms. But I have never used it near the tomatoes before. I grow basil but it's away from my tomatoes this year and it has been in past gardens.

I have marigolds in with my tomatoes this year and it seems it has kept away the stink bugs. Stink bugs love to invade my tomatoes and while generally harmless, they leave the tomatoes somewhat unappealing if they are left to suck on the tomatoes too long.

Check out the Little Gardeners message board to discuss more on tomato hornworms (or other tomato pests). How do you get rid of the creepy tomato hornworms?

Dwindling and Tomato Hornworms

2007-08-15T23:00:00.000-04:00

Things are beginning to die down here including the garden. Since I was able to plant most things early here, things are finally coming to an end. I was sure I was going to have a fall crop of some things. But I never got around to it. Too many other things got in the way.

We had a good year in the garden. We still are getting some things like squash and a second round of zuchinni (here comes more zuchinni bread and minestrone soup!). We are still getting tomatoes.

We had our first tomato hornworm stomping session. Yes. It sounds so gross. But when the kids spot the tomato hornworm, they have me pull it off and they take it off to the side of the garden and squish it. I think they delight in getting rid of it. Tomato hornworms are creepy little buggers. I normally detest the killing of anything regardless of its destructive capabilities. But I guess it's better than spraying it and having half the other bugs die along with them. Luckily, we only found four big ones. So far these are the first, hopefully the last. In the past, we have gotten them much earlier. So maybe that’s a good sign.

I dug up the second to last batch of red potatoes. I used them to make a minestrone soup (later I might post my recipe for it). There is one more batch of red potatoes and I am holding out as long as I can.

Overall, it has been a very productive and great season. The kids really did enjoy their gardens this year. Happy dwindling time!

KM

Summer Heat

2007-08-13T16:19:00.000-04:00

Oh the heat is getting to me, the family, my pets and of course our gardens. The kids are preparing for school (we homeschool but we still have to prepare our minds for the structure of our school time). They don't feel like being outside when it's hot. The garden is drooping. What can you do to help the gardens?

Set up a few pop bottle sprinklers. Take a pop bottle (two liters are fine although smaller will do well especially for container gardens). Drill a small hole into the cap. Place the cap back on. The hole has to be big enough to let some water through but not a gushing amount of water. Cut off the bottom inch or two of the pop bottle. Place the bottle in the ground. You might want to place the bottle into the ground at an angle. If you place it straight up and down, it might not leak out as needed. You can put a medium sized rock in the bottle to keep it from blowing away. The rock shouldn't be able to cover the hole completely. Fill up the bottle and the garden will be watered at root level.

There are nozzles you can buy at home and garden stores and online garden stores that you add onto the pop bottles to do the same trick. But it's a fun activity to do this with the kids. These pop bottle sprinklers are great for when you go on vacation.

Aqua Spikes at Park Seed Company

Happy hot gardening everyone!

KM

School's Almost Here

2007-07-29T13:54:00.000-04:00

It's almost school time. So it's time for teachers, parents and students to start planning next year's school garden. But how do you get started with a school garden. Start a School Garden gives tips and hints on how to get started with a school garden.

Since I homeschool, we don't really have a "school" garden in the traditional sense. But we do have a homeschool learning spot in our garden- the whole garden. The garden is a great place to learn even when it's a necessary chore. A garden can be a fascinating place. The kids are always coming up to me telling me of something they've found in the garden. So I have to trek up there to see what it is they found. Sometimes it even is enthralling to me. Other times it's just normal mundane things to me. But I give the kids credit. They can find the same thing over and over again and it will still fascinate them.

So a garden is a great school- a place to teach kids everything from what plants need to live to why we need the bees. Happy gardening!

Katina Mooneyham

Top Kid’s Garden Vegetables and Plants

2007-07-24T20:23:00.000-04:00

Every kid gardener has their favorites. My yongest daughter is in love with watermelons. She has always loved eating them but loves just how big they can get. I think she envisions a watermelon field one day that we can just pick and harvest a ton of watermelons. My oldest daughter loves flowers. She is a very girly type girl and flowers are her thing. She does like cucumbers and has started to like peppers and tomatoes more. She is growing up into a very rounded young woman.

My little man Leo loves everything I will let him touch! He of course tries to put things in his mouth no matter what they are. He’s eleven months now (in two days) and enjoyed being outside with us when we are in the garden.

So what are the easiest things to grow in the garden? Check out The Top Four Plants for a Kid’s Garden to find out some of the easiest things to start in a kid’s garden.

Envy Zinnia

2007-07-18T20:41:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to post a picture I took of my zinnias. I hope that I can get a few more pictures on here as well. It's a dark picture because for some reason I didn't get it to turn out well. I tried but it's the best I can do. In the meantime...

Green Envy Zinnias

Ideas for Kid's Sunflower Gardens

2007-06-26T10:13:00.000-04:00

You know about sunflowers. But how do you go about getting ideas surrounding the kid's sunflower garden? There are many things you can do in a kid's sunflower garden. The kids will love to play around the tall sunflowers. They may even love the short versions too. My kids love to play around the sunflowers. They watch the ants farm the aphids that just love the sunflowers too. They are fascinated how something so small as a sunflower seed can become this huge viable plant. And sunflowers do reach amazing heights.

We planted small sunspot sunflowers in the front. Even though they are not supposed to get tall, they sure did widen up! They are about a foot and a half high and just as wide. I didn't expect them to get that wide and they have crowded out a few plants I put in between. So be aware of spacing when you space sunflowers. Give them plenty of room.

I planted sage in between the sunflowers. Since it is getting shaded a lot I am not sure how much it will grow. But not to worry because it isn't the only sage I have planted in the garden. A few of the sunflowers are being crowded by the squash that I planted. At least we won't have weeds in the garden. Or not many because everything is so close together.

We use raised beds. This makes things easier to handle. We can make just the right sized beds for the kids. Just the right amount of work the kids can handle. This gets them motivated to continued their gardens.

For more ideas on kid's sunflower gardens check out Ideas for Kid's Sunflower Gardens over at Garden and Hearth.com. Have a fun sunflower day!

Blessings,

Katina Mooneyham

Sunflowers

2007-06-18T16:37:00.000-04:00

Kid’s Sunflowers Gardens

Do your kids want some sunflowers this year in their gardens? Check out Kid’s Flower Profile: Sunflowers.

There are many varieties of sunflowers. Be sure to ask around if you aren’t sure which kind to grow. Some are better than others for sunflower seeds. Some are shorter for bouquet cutting or for smaller spaces. The shorter varieties seem to be just as attention getting for the kids as the taller ones. There are sunflower monsters too that can get up to 12 feet tall! That’s incredibly large and not likely to be put in my garden unless I can find somewhere they won’t shade the rest of the garden. But I bet they make wonderful kid’s sunflower houses. I will write more on that later.

Organization is For the Birds

2007-06-15T14:49:00.000-04:00

Or maybe it's for us and the kid's gardens. I know we sure could use organization at times. There is many a time when I will work in the garden only to find out I can't FIND my trowel or rake. Or I will move on up into the gardens and find that I left something out.

Organization in the kid's garden keeps things in order. It will help smooth out wrinkles and will keep the kid's attention and focus on what's really important: the garden.

For more tips on keeping the kid's garden organized and free of clutter check out Kid’s Garden Organization: Get Rid of Clutter.

If you have any important tricks and tips of the garden organization kind, feel free to share them at the Little Gardeners message boards.

Seven Tips for Gardening with Kids

2007-06-11T14:22:00.000-04:00

Give your kids something to do this summer. Start a kid's garden. Here are seven tips for gardening with kids.

1. Think on a Kid's Level

Kids have desires and wants much like an adult. These desires can be a little different from our own. Get down on a kid's level when you plan a garden with the kids. What sort of things do they like? Are they squeamish? Do they enjoy working as long as they are having fun? Are they regularly bored with the same tasks over and over? These are questions that you will have to ask. These questions are important to discover what it is that makes your kids good candidates for gardening.

2. Go Small

Younger kids do better with something their own size. The smaller the kid, the smaller the garden should be. A kid's attention span is smaller than most other people. They lose interest very quickly. A small garden will keep their attention but won't have the other distractions a bigger garden might. Overwhelming kids with a huge garden space could actually deter them from gardening.

3. Go Organic

Organic has different meanings for different people. Organic is defined as something natural free from synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Some things can be completely organic while other products are partially organic or made with organic materials. Going organic with your kid's gardens helps with safety issues that may arise with gardening. If you choose organic methods of gardening, there will be fewer chemicals that could harm your kids.

4. Quick Growing Plants

Quick results will grab a kid's attention. Quick growing vegetables such as radishes and lettuce are good bets for kids. They germinate or sprout well too. Radishes only take about a month to completely form so they are very good garden plants for kids who might tend to lose interest quickly. Even though sunflowers take a while to completely go through their life cycles, they are quick to sprout.

5. Flowers are Garden Plants Too

Don't neglect flowers as a kid's garden plant. There are many flowers that are perfect for a kid's garden. Sunflowers and pansies are great flowers for a beginner kid's garden. Sunflowers sprout quickly and pansies will tolerate shade, drought and cooler weather so you can plant pansies in early spring. The earlier you grab your kid's attention the more likely they will continue their garden adventures.

6. Kid Sized Tools

Adult size tools are generally too big for a kid to handle, especially younger kids. You can usually find kid sized tools in home and garden stores and on the Internet. Here's a list of some garden tools you should get for the kids.

- Spade: This is also called a trowel. Many little kids call it a baby shovel. It is exactly that. It looks and functions similar to a small shovel. It is used for digging and transplanting.
- Weeder: This helps in the weeding process. They come in many types. There are some weeders that look like screwdrivers while others look like a mini rake.
- Garden gloves: Garden gloves are good for kids. They will help keep their interest in gardening especially those kids who aren't interested in digging in the dirt.
- Pruners: These shouldn't be given to younger kids who can't handle scissors. But for the older more responsible kids, pruners are a good tool. They help prune or trim plants and shrubs and are useful in the harvest of certain vegetables such as peppers and eggplant.

7. Garden Chores are Necessary

You have to usually weed a garden. You have to water a garden. There is a harvest that happens when you grow vegetables in the garden. Garden chores are necessary. But not all kids will see this once they get into gardening. They may be turned off by the fact they have to wait and actually work in the garden. Younger kids and beginning kid gardeners should be given only one or two garden chores to do. That way they won't get turned off by it. Gradually add on more chores as needed. The kids could also be helpers as you do the job. The job gets done faster with more than one person helping.

A Gardening Adventure

Hopefully, the kids stay interested in gardening. Gardening is an adventure and a rewarding hobby that can last a lifetime.

Growing Growing Gone!

2007-06-06T13:41:00.000-04:00

Things are growing well. Hopefully by the end of this week I will be able to get some pictures up. The peas are producing well considering they were bombarded with strange wacky weather early on. The garbanzoes came up this third time I planted them. I must have planted them too early the first couple times. The second time I planted them only a couple came up.

The sunflowers are getting bigger. They won't get too tall as they are the smaller 2 to 3 foot kind. But they will be a welcome addition to our gardens. The watermelon are doing great (any wood to knock on around here?). I transplanted a few more and they survived the transplant. The warmer weather is what helped them I am sure. It's almost too hot for some things.

I've had a couple wild daisies pop up. Ok, well a lot of them. There are some more wildflower about to open up too. Not sure what they are but they are pretty and we have them almost every year.

I see little baby zucchinnis and squash on the vines! Yeah! That means soon I will probably be watchful to make sure they are properly pollinated. With the honeybee crisis at hand, we may have to hand pollinate them.

Hand pollination is really easy to do too. But it does take extra time. But it's worth the extra effort to get the great results.

I hope soon that we will be loading up mountains of squash to take with us wherever we go to give away and loads to eat as well. So growing growing gone! Here's to a productive season for everyone.

Katina

Watermelon Heaven

2007-05-14T16:18:00.000-04:00

Hopefully the watermelons that survived will continue to do so. We transplanted our 13 orange watermelons and all but a couple died. I guess they don't transplant well. They don't seem to grow well either. We either water them too much or too little. I don't seem to have a knack for growing them. On the other hand, squash, zucchini and cucumbers seem to love me! I love growing them.

I keep trying though and I don't think it's too late for them. So I planted the rest of the seeds I had and I am hoping for the best. My youngest daughter wants so badly to grow watermelons. I hope they grow for her sake. Maybe I am just tired or cranky or something. I am so mad at the watermelons!

Here's to garden hopes of adults and kids alike!

Katina M.

It's too hot outside

2007-05-02T13:45:00.000-04:00

It's too hot outside. It's a bit cooler than it has been the past few days though. Today it's only supposed to be a high of 70. For my early cooler weather crops, though that is a little too hot. My peas are doing good considering though.

I tried to start tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and herbs inside. But they haven't turned out well. It seems the place I have to put them is too hot maybe. It's upstairs in a small closet like area. I have to put them there to keep the cats and dog from getting into the plants. One year I lost most things due to my cats sleeping on the flats!

The kids are happy though. Our watermelons, cucumbers and squash are growing rampant in that hot area. It's neat to watch them grow because they are big enough to see! The girls can't wait until the watermelon gets out. I have to make the watermelon beds so that they are ready when the plants get big enough. In the past, I have always started watermelons outside with mediocre results at best. This year, I wanted to get a head start and start them inside. Hopefully, it's better.

Our tomatoes and pepper plants we ordered came in and they are sitting outside to harden them off in our area. I will probably plant them tonight or tomorrow. It will be better tomorrow possibly because it will be a little warmer. Tonight's temps are to drop into the 40's and I think that might be too low for the tomatoes especially. They won't freeze but they might go into shock more. I hope the weather decides to cooperate from now on.

Happy gardening.

Katina

Rainy Day Gardening

2007-04-30T05:26:00.000-04:00

Perhaps it's going to rain today. There's a 20 percent chance here. But when it rains we usually can't garden. So what can you do with the kids when it rains? There are a lot of garden related activities that can be done on a rainy day.

Try some rainy day gardening activities.

Here's a list of some more activities.

1. Have younger kid gardeners draw some plants. You can then put them into a binder to use later or have for a garden scrapbook.
2. Buy garden supplies. You can go garden shopping for new supplies, seeds or just to have a look at the inside garden sections of your local home and garden shops, greenhouses or department stores.
3. Start some inside experiments.

Experiment with Sprouts

2007-04-24T11:51:00.000-04:00

When I first started sprouting, the kids didn't seem to think it was all that great. They pushed away from it. Because it was strange and new, it seems kids tend to be turned off by it. Some kids are different though. My kids have gotten used to sprouts. They even now admit they like sprouts. You can make your own sprouts and try some experiments.

An Experiment with Delicious Sprouts

Sprouts are great on sandwiches. My favorite is a tomato, bacon sandwich with broccoli sprouts. You can of course buy sprouts at the store. I do buy them at the store occasionally. But you can buy sprouters too at most garden places. I bought my sprout seed and sprouters at Park Seed. They also have tons of other gardening items that may be of value to the gardeners and kid gardeners everywhere.

Happy sprouting!

Katina

Any Questions about Kid's Gardening?

2007-04-23T20:39:00.000-04:00

If you have any questions about kid's gardening, visit my Little Gardener question section at Garden and Hearth. There are a couple questions and answers already there. While you are there, you can peruse the rest of the site and questions that others have on their boards.

All kids have questions about gardening especially when they are starting out. And parents have questions too. Even the most experienced gardeners may have troubles or questions about starting kid's gardens, which plants to start kids with and all sorts of other questions about how to garden with kids. Don't be afraid to ask questions about the kid's gardens.

Garden and Hearth is a wonderful place chock full of gardening information as well as household information. Don't forget to check to see what the whole site has to offer.

So, think of a few questions and ask away!

Katina

It's a great day for onions

2007-04-18T13:22:00.000-04:00

Today is a great day. It's nice outside. It might rain later on tonight and into tomorrow. But at least it's rain and not snow. It's warm, about 50 degrees outside right now. That is a temperature I can handle well. But I don't really feel like being outside. In the sun, it seems hotter and maybe that is what it is. But I did manage to get something done. I planted a few onion sets.

Onion sets are easy to plant. It's fun for the kids to plant them too. They are really inexpensive (I got 80 sets for 1.50). Of course not all of them are plantable. Some sprout before you even buy them. Throw those away unless you want to experiment with the kids, to see if they produce any less or what. I buy regular onion plants for the main crop. Then I buy sets for green onions. Plus the onions keep away icky things that would normally devour my garden plants. After planting about 20 of them into various pots, putting landscaping cloth under a tire bed, putting ornamental rocks around the bed, pulling some weeds, making sure things didn't need watered, and finally finishing the carrot bed so I can plant this weekend I was tired! That was only an hour out. Then my youngest daughter came out and wanted to play a game. So we played out on the porch while my little Leo played in his seat with us. Then I got hot and needed to come in. I feel drained but it's good I suppose. I will probably get back out tonight to do some things once my husband comes in. I got the asparagus today so I have to do the finishing touches on that bed. I hope it turns out. Asparagus can be well worth it. Yum, can't wait!

Happy gardening to everyone.

Katina

Calendar for National Garden Month

2007-04-12T11:35:00.000-04:00

We saw an idea for a calendar for National Garden Month and made our own to fit the schedule. We have a few ideas and activities the kids can do during April, National Garden Month.

Calendar of Garden Activities

Make priorities. Which plants need to be planted? Put those on the calendar along with some fun activities to keep the kids interested. But don't stop there! It's fun to make up a schedule. Even if you don't faithfully stick to it all the time, it's fun to come up with all sorts of gardening activities you can do. Stay tuned for some more on National Garden Month.

Who Loves to Experiment?

2007-04-09T11:53:00.000-04:00

We do! We love to experiment using new plants, new seeds, and new ways to starting the seeds. Experiments are great for hands on experience with gardening. They are especially great for those cold days that gardening just isn't on the agenda.

We've had a cold snap and we have needed to keep the kids busy with something in the garden. So we have done plant and seed experiments. Check out Seed and Plant Starting Experiments for Kids for a couple ideas to get kids into experimenting in the gardens.

Cold Weather and the Garden

2007-04-03T16:03:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the land of 70 degrees one day, 40 the next and freezing weather just around the corner. Just in time to welcome my little plants just growing into the cold world.

I'm a little perturbed at Mother Nature right now. But at least I won't lose much if I do. Most of the things I have out there in the gardens are cold hardy. But I can still lose all the seeds I just planted. Luckily, we have more to plant. I am trying to put positive spin on this. But it still irritates me.

The peas, lettuce and radishes I just planted should be okay (if not, I have plenty of seed to replant). I am glad I waited to plant the carrots and such. There are some activities at least we can do while we wait in this in between time. Check out It's Not Quite Gardening Time.

I just received some bareroot plants and can't plant them out yet because it will be below freezing for a few days. I am going on vacation for Easter travels in a couple of days. I won't be around or I wouldn't worry as much about my plants outside. I have violas and pansies and they usually last. We normally put frost blankets on but I won't be here to take them off during the warmer days and I don't want them getting too hot in the sun and getting killed that way either. I hope putting them on my back deck near the house radiates enough heat to keep them alive.

Here's to the wait...the cold...long...wait.

Gardening on Schedule

2007-03-30T13:03:00.000-04:00

No, I don't mean sticking to some routine that gets the best of you. I mean, developing a gardening schedule for your kids. This helps with organizing when to start gardening, when to start soil preparation and when gardening time is about to end so the harvest can take place.

Develop a Garden Schedule Your Kids Get Into

Our garden has started. Most beds are built. We have the early flowers out, the pansies and violas. These could live through frosts. One winter, they stayed green all winter long because it was mild all winter long.

I have peas in and plan to get carrots in the next few days. I planted some lettuces and spinach too as these too are cooler weather crops. I bought a few brocoli plants too. Not as many as last year (I had a dozen last year and it was very hard to maintain the garden with all those plants. Of course, I was pregnant last year. That would make anyone not want to garden).

We make a calendar and try to stick to it. It helps us get stuff done in the garden. I try to predict days that we will definitely be away (easter, vacations, birthdays etc). We put those on the calendar so we know if we have to weed that week or so we will have to do it another day. Most times, though, it's a spur of the moment type thing. I mostly go day by day. I get some things done that I wanted to. Sometimes I don't. The kids are there to help and they usually ask to do certain chores like watering and lifting things and getting supplies (or watching their little brother...babysitting is important too).

Happy gardening and happy garden planning.

First Grade Gardeners

2007-03-23T17:19:00.000-04:00

A question came to me by a reader of Little Gardeners. The reader is located in central Ohio. The reader asked about gardening with a young child (first grade). I thought I might post a few examples of what I might do (or what I have done) with a first grader or younger gardener.

A first grader can be picky depending on their style of learning, attitude and likes/dislikes. I have a first grader who absolutely adores dirt and digging. So it’s not a problem when we have to dig. But there are other responsibilities too such as weeding daily, watering and then there’s the waiting period until harvest. Those things can be tough on a young gardener. Choosing the right type of garden can help. I’d say a raised bed/container garden was the best thing that ever happened to my young gardeners. They are easier to maintain than a regular in the ground garden. You can use just about anything to plant in. Here’s a list of some of the things I’ve used.

a. Tires
b. Kitty Litter Containers
c. Buckets
d. A black wagon
e. Cinder blocks
f. Regular ornamental bricks
g. Pots

For raised beds and containers, use a combination of soil and potting soil or just regular potting soil. Add in some compost or some other organic materials (I add in chopped up leaves sometimes to my stuff. The leaves break down into a nice material for plants). Always make sure the containers have good drainage. Even though a lot of commerical planters have drainage holes I almost always add a few more by drilling holes with a drill.

I’d say go small and quick at first. What I mean by quick is grow plants that are quick in their growth. This will further increase the curiosity of a young gardener. Radishes are great because they usually are mature in about a month. Lettuces also are great because there is such a huge variety of these available. Peas (also cooler weather crops--NOW) are also fun especially the ones with edible pods. What a great way to get a young kid to eat green! Once the weather warms up enough, planting some beans. These grow quickly but be warned that pole beans will grow better vertical and will need support. Bush beans might be a better bet to grow for a younger gardener.

Central Ohio is what is known as hardiness zone 5a to 5b. There are pockets (and microclimates) in southern Ohio that are zone 6. What this means is that the last frost dates are usually around May 15th although this isn’t an exact date. The last frost date means the last date that a killing frost might occur. Most vegetables like tomatoes, peppers and squash and melons shouldn’t be planted out until this time because they aren’t frost tolerant and will likely be killed if subjected to the cold temperatures. However, there are a few typical garden plants that are tolerant to light frost. These are radishes, lettuce and even established carrots will tolerate a light frost. Potatoes are another plant that will tolerate a frost.

Starting seeds indoors can be an advantage especially for new gardeners. A first grader might love to see all the new plants emerging. But you will have to have a few things to start them inside. You will need a container, some seed starting supplies and a window that gets plenty of sun or you will have to supplement with artificial lighting. You can buy grow lights just about anywhere. I get mine at Lowe’s, Wal-mart and other stores like that.

Seed starting can be as simple as buying a few small peat pots or regular pots and just throwing in the seeds. You could also buy the seed flats that are often available at home and garden stores. Use a soilless mixture. It’s often called a germination mix. It has nutrients and minerals to help the little seedling grow.

Be sure to water the seedlings as needed. The trick is to stick your finger in the soil about an inch. If it’s dry, then you need to water. Make sure you don’t water too much or the seeds can have a lot of problems with rotting and might not germinate at all.

Transplanting is important if the seedling gets too tall or big for its original container. You may have to transplant it a couple of times. But try to time sowing the seeds so you will do the least amount of transplanting. This helps reduce transplant shock, a condition that almost always kills the plant or severely reduces its production.

Check out some other great tips for gardening at Home Gardening Tips. Happy gardening and spring to everyone.

Signs of Spring

2007-03-19T14:27:00.000-04:00

What are your favorite signs of spring? The chirping birds in the mornings, right before the sunlight cracks the horizon is one of my favorite signs. At night, I hear the chorus frogs, the spring peepers off in my neighbors's pond. Even though they are several hundred yards away, it seems as if they were right next to our house. They are quite loud.

The best thing about spring is to look out over my gardens. Soon, they will have plants in them growing our wonderful produce for the coming year. I can't wait. I have spring fever. I'm sure many kids do too.

Take the kids out on a spring walk. Check out the Subtle Signs of Spring. Happy gardening, spring, bird watching and spring peeper listening!

Starting Seeds

2007-03-15T12:50:00.000-04:00

The weather here in Ohio (hardiness zone 5-6) in spring has its ups and downs. A lot of the midwest is in weather turmoil. The soil is too wet to work with in most places. If you are able to work the soil, there is limited time and plants that are able to be planted. So until the weather decides to finally be warmer, you can start seeds inside.

Most seeds are started early to late March. Some plants such as eggplants should have already been planted but should be okay if you watch them closely at the end of the season (such as a cold frame or greenhouse). Come the end of the season, around the end of September, it will get cold and eggplants will likely die if not protected. Flowers such as violas and pansies should have already been planted. They are less likely to thrive in hotter weather. But you can start them for a fall crop of flowers.

Not many supplies are needed to start seeds. Just some soil, seeds (you can buy online or at any store especially home and garden stores), containers and a nice sunny window.

Most seeds require at least six hours of sun to germinate . If you don’t have a sunny window that can get this amount, you will have to buy grow lights. You can buy these at most stores and should be able to find them at your local home and garden departments. They don’t have to be anything spectacular and expensive. They are also sometimes called aquarium lights. The trick with the lights is to get the right distance from light to plant. It should be no more than five inches from the plant but no closer than one inch. Three to four inches is best for maximum efficiency.

As for containers there is a wide variety to select from. You could have the typical pots, clay or plastic. You could buy seed starting materials such as peat pots, peat pellets or seed starting flats. These are popular among home gardeners.

Seed Starting Ideas

Try to buy a germinating mix. It is usually a soil-less mix, meaning it doesn’t have dirt persay but it has peat, vermiculite (a moisture retaining substance) and other things a newly emerged sprout needs to get going. Once the plant reaches a certain height, if the weather hasn’t warmed up enough to transplant outside, then you can transplant it to a larger pot indoors.

Make sure you note the germination time, growing time and all that from the seed packet. The days given to maturity are often from transplant and don’t include germination time. For most plants, germination time is about a week. Some take longer, some don’t take near as long and some it depends on conditions (such as temperature and moisture). Usually when the plant is about four to five inches tall, it is ready to be transplanted.

Just make sure the seeds get all it requires of life (sun, water, and food) and the seeds should start great. Happy seed starting time! Get the kids involved. They will love it.

Excitement About the Garden Season

2007-03-09T11:29:00.000-05:00

The warm weather has finally come. The kids are getting excited about the upcoming gardening season. They can’t wait to have those luscious orange watermelons, flat pod peas and this year, we are finally going to try garbannzo beans (although they are supposed to have a long growing season- we can do it, but barely so it will be interesting).

It’s here and official. I ordered all my plants and seeds for the year. Probably not all of them though. Once I start shopping this year at the brick and mortar stores, I am bound to find something else I want to grow. The kids also want to add on this and add on that. How do you curb excitement and yet usher it in at the same time?

A garden plan can help organize things in the garden. Planning how much time will be spent doing what and when can help get the kids organized as well as the adults. A calendar might help. Make that a specially set aside calendar made just for gardening. Add on frost free dates and zone information for your particular garden zone (Don’t know your zone? I’m sure you’re not alone. Check out Better Homes and Garden’s Hardiness Zone Maps . Just click on your state and find your area for your grow zone.)

I haven’t got my inside garden area set up really. It needs some revamping, some reorganzation. I know as soon as I get the seeds and start growing, that will change. The kids want results this year. Last year, although productive in the tomato, pepper, cucumber and bean department was lacking in other things especially the melons. This year I plan to start the melons early indoors and set them out. Last year’s cooler beginning weather probably triggered our less than sucessful growing season.

Excitement abounds for the gardeners everywhere.

Behind on Gardening

2007-03-07T15:29:00.000-05:00

What do you do when you feel you are behind in something? Maybe there's a faster way. Sure, we could all use more time. But finding a quicker efficient method of gardening is an alternative to trying to invent more time.

Discuss your thoughts on fast gardening tips at the Little Gardeners's message boards. I am sure there are as many ways to hasten the garden as there are color shades in the world.

Planning a Kid’s Garden

2007-02-26T18:41:00.000-05:00

It’s almost spring for us here in the United States. In some places south the earliest crops might be even sown in the next couple of weeks. Whether you are new or an old hand at gardening, you might find it difficult to plan a kid’s garden. There are as many different types of kids as there are garden plants. How do you plan a toddler’s garden? With the toddler in mind of course. There are a few tips that can help you begin planning the toddler’s garden.

1. Be patient. If you can think back to when you first started gardening (or think how you feel now if you are new to gardening) you may have felt trepidation. It’s natural for a toddler to feel overwhelmed once the garden starts to really grow.

2. Give small tasks. A toddler’s attention span has a tendency to be short. Small tasks are better suited to a toddler.

3. Have them help you with the easy chores the first year. If you think your toddler may become too overwhelmed, then limit the tasks to just helping you water every other day or weeding.

Want more tips? Plan a Toddler’s Garden .

Six Vegetables for a Kid's Garden

2007-02-25T18:42:00.000-05:00

On matters of vegetables, kids seem to be pros at dodging and ducking around vegetables. Perhaps the kids might seem less reluctant to throw the vegetables in the dirt if they grew them in a garden they helped plan, plant, grow and harvest.

Lettuce

Grow your salads! Growing lettuce from seeds in fun. Looseleaf lettuces and Romaine Lettuces are easier and better for kids because of their quicker growth time. Typical lettuces grown are the iceberg lettuces and romaine lettuce. But some other lettuces that are becoming more common are micro-greens, mesclun and mustard lettuces.

Tomatoes

Big bright red tomatoes and small juicy cherry tomatoes. Yummy. It’s no wonder this fruit-turned vegetable is a big hit. Plus, you can make your own pasta sauces. Tomatoes come in many different varieties and it may be hard for your kids to choose. But a good balance of salad, slicing and cherry tomatoes should give plenty of produce for the kid’s garden.

Peppers

Even though hot peppers are relatively easy to grow, colored bell peppers are great for kids. They are fun to pick off the vine and great roasted with pasta. Get bigger sized bell peppers and use them for stuffing. Although not every kid likes peppers especially of the hotter variety, peppers are very easy to grow and maintain making them a great plant to put in the kid’s garden. Common hot pepper varieties are the habenero and jalapeno. Cayenne are very easy to grow and are very prolific in production.

Squash

Squash includes zucchini and it’s a very prolific vegetable. Most squash will grow quickly. There are many different types of squash so choosing may be overwhelming. Scalloped or patty pan squash are a fun squash to grow. These squash have a scalloped or wavy edge to them making them look sort of like a flying saucer. Be aware that these squash can grow quite prolific and may produce bounds of squash. Be careful not to plant too much.

Carrots

Even though carrots take some time before they grow, it’s great once they start. You can pick them somewhat early for baby carrots. The tops, the greens, are a very pretty green and look great as a garnish for plates and dishes. They are edible and look and taste great in salads. There are many varieties of carrot not of the typical orange kind. There are purple carrots, white, yellow and even red carrots. Traditionally, carrots weren’t orange and were eventually bred into the orange varieties we know today.

Cucumbers

Cucumbers are wonderful fresh from the garden. Some people eat them STRAIGHT from the garden, freshly picked off the vine. While that is good if the cucumber isn’t dirty, make sure no chemicals were used and they are safe to eat without washing them. You could just wash them off with the hose too.

There you go. Six vegetables that even kids won’t complain about now that they have a little bit more interesting information on them. For more articles on Kid’s Gardening visit Little Gardeners.

Inside a Seed

2007-02-01T15:33:00.000-05:00

Inside a Seed, There is Food

A seed is a package that has everything it needs to grow a strong little sprout. Why is the seed important?

Everything living has a life cycle. Part of that life cycle in plants is the seed. It is perhaps the most important part of the life cycle. It’s the foundation and without the seed, life would cease to exist.

Seeds have to be strong. They have to be ready to take the challenge of being out there in the harsh world. Many things “prey” upon seeds so they have to come up with ingenius ways to coping and changing, adapting and struggling for survival.

It seems seeds are a hardy package. Great things DO come in small packages.

Things to Do Before Winter is Over

2007-01-29T07:39:00.000-05:00

Things to Do Before Winter is Over

(That day is approaching fast. The first days of Spring will be here quicker than you think. At least that's how gardeners think right?)

A kid gardener’s work is never finished even during the winter. Here is a list of things to do before winter.

1. Plan next year's garden.

The garden catalogs usually start coming in late December, early January. Plan ahead. Have the kids choose three or four (or whatever you want them to) things they want to get this year for their gardens. Remember to order rare, unusual items early. The earlier you order things, the less likely they will sell out of something you’d really like. It makes it easier to start ordering in January and order up to the time of planting especially if you are on a tight garden budget.

Planning This Year’s Garden

2. Get kids to help clean up the yard. Is that going to happen, for real?

Even on days that are cold, your yard and garden areas can use a little cleaning. Just removing old clutter such as leftover standing water or dead plants can help. Remember, the more you do now when you can the more you will have to do come spring time. When spring hits, you will have more energy to plant the garden without the worry of cleaning up everything first.

Garden Chores

3. Clean up garden tools.

Proper care of the kid’s garden tools prolongs the life of the tools. The tools should be washed periodically during use. Before they are put up for the winter, they should be washed one more time. Some gardeners may bleach their tools but it isn’t necessary. Hot and soapy water should be sufficient for kid’s garden tools.

Tools of Their Own

4. Is it too late to mulch?

Mulch is a covering to help protect the garden beds from excess weeds, moisture loss and excess temperature fluctuations. Mulching a garden is never too late. You have the kids mulch their gardens around the first frosts. But you can do it anytime after that. Many different materials can be used as mulch. The typical mulch that is used is wood chips. But materials such as straw, grass cuttings, pine needles, even shredded newspapers can be used.

Garden Preparation Basics

5. Start plants by seed.

Winter time seems bleak to many kids. But starting a garden inside inside can help alleviate this bleak time period. All the kids need are some seeds, a place to plant these seeds, a warm sunny window and the same patience needed for outdoor gardens. To help supplement sunlight, you may have to buy some grow lights made for indoor gardening.

Designing a Kid’s Garden: By Seed or Plant

6. Have an indoor garden.

An indoor garden is another way to pass time in winter. This indoor garden can be continued all year long too or can be temporarily placed outdoors come spring time. Cactus, flowers and small vegetables such as radishes and lettuce can all be made into indoor gardens.

Six Ways to Make Indoor Winter Gardening Fun

Winter time needn’t be bleak and boring. Spice it up with a little garden activity.

Garden Resolutions

2007-01-02T16:11:00.000-05:00

1. I will not plant more than I can take care of (I’m thinking this will be broken within the first week of planting time).

2. Start some seeds indoors. Tomatoes, eggplants, and pansies especially. Seed starting indoors can save a whole lot of money.

3. Keep a garden journal this year again. I didn’t keep one last year. I was pregnant and toward the end of gardening season I was so tired. The beginning I was tired too. I guess pregnancy does that to you.

A Kid Gardener's Journal

4. Redo the compost heap. It isn’t doing anything and we haven’t added much in the past year.

I think four things should suffice for now. There are so many things I can do now to prepare for the new gardening year. I have to get my indoor gardening area set up so I can start planting this year’s early crops.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Memories

2006-12-21T05:47:00.000-05:00

I remember like it was yesterday that my garden was alive, fresh and full of beautiful vegetables. Yesterday, I was reaping the benefits of a garden. So were the kids.

Preserving the kid’s garden memories can be important in several ways. One, a scrapbook of garden memories can make a great learning project. What grew well this past year? Where was it at? What vegetables did you most like? Which vegetables didn’t do so well? And so on.

Preserve your kid’s garden memories by making a garden scrapbook today!

A garden scrapbook can also make a great gift.

It's a Flower's Life

2006-12-06T12:12:00.000-05:00

I learned about flower gardening from my Mom. I still learn something all the time from her. She is the master gardener, the expert in flowers. She loves flower gardening.

She finds exotics sometimes. But she is happy with the regulars. Roses, pansies and violas, and a cactus basket with several different species of cactus in it. She has inside flowers and outside flower gardens. She has a few hostas here and there. She loves her rose bed.

We had a few flowers. We mostly have flowers that came on there own or were here when we moved. Every late winter, early spring since we moved here we have gotten the crocuses that grow up near the rose bush. We get the crocuses by the tree in our front lawn. It seems the crocuses have spread too. We have had to dig them out of our front garden beds the last two years.

It’s a Flower’s Life

Kids loves flowers too. My kids love sunflowers. My oldest loves just about any flower. She especially loves the deep purple tulips we have. These tulips are almost black and since her favorite color is black (she’s a teenage going through that stage) she absolutely is enthralled by the tulips. We had bachelor buttons, marigolds and zinnias last year. I planted them in tires up front. This coming season I think we might get more sunflowers. But we are putting them up front so the deer are less likely to ravage them like they did last year.

Life Cycle

2006-11-14T18:48:00.000-05:00

All living things have a life cycle. This usually includes birth, growth, offspring production and then inevitably death. A plant also experiences this life cycle. It is important to understand this life cycle and to explain it to the kids when you are planting a garden with them.

The plant life cycle can help to investigate problems and solutions within a garden. Some kids may ask Why do I have to keep planting the garden every year? Why doesn’t it grow by itself? These are equally valid questions. The answer lies partially in the life cycle of plants.

Here are a few sites that investigate the plant life cycle. Some have some fun activities the kids might want to do to discover more about a plant’s life cycle.

1. Fullerton Arboretum
-- This site has many activities including a few drag and drop activities for labeling some plants.

2. BBC Schools: Plant Life Cycle
-- This is a drag and drop sort of activity. It is mostly for younger elementary aged kids.

3. The Great Plant Escape
-- This site has a mystery to solve that involves plants. A very fun activity for all ages.

4. The Life Cycle of a Bean Plant

If you search on your favorite search engine, you might find quite a bit about plant life cycles. Maybe you could search for activities using “garden” as a search term.

Happy gardening (or planning in the case of those experiencing winter time).

Gift of the Garden

2006-11-02T18:26:00.000-05:00

Our baby was born September 26th. This is the reason for a long time between posts. Gardening had to be on hold for a little bit until things got back to a somewhat normal routine. But I think things are getting there.

I have started to plan next year’s gardening. I am not sure I will have the energy come early year. So I am planning now. Plus, I need to know what I want if I am to ask people for gifts of the garden.

So what sort of garden gifts are great for a gardener? Kids like gifts too. What do you get a kid gardener for Christmas? Seeds, tools and maybe a book or two. Get the older kids a gift certificate. That way they can choose what they get.

A few places for gift certificates?

1. Park’s Seeds
2. Burpee’s
3. Territorial

Happy garden planning!

Preparing the Gardens for Winter

2006-09-23T10:18:00.000-04:00

When the weather starts turning colder gardening comes to an end. At least the production part. Winter preparation begins. There are still chores and tasks left to do that the kids can help with. Prepare the gardens for winter with these tasks.

Preparing the Gardens for Winter

These are just a few of the things that we can do with the gardens including our kid's gardens. Winter can be a sad time for a gardener. But we can at least prepare our gardens for their rebirth next year.

The end times

2006-09-18T11:12:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's been awhile since I have updated this. And yes, my job as gardener for the year is dwindling down to the passive garden stage. The passive garden stage? That's where the gardeners lay low for winter and wait until the spring thaw. It can drive us insane. Even the kids start to miss the garden.

Some of the plants we have are still hanging tough. But with the temperatures especially at night starting to get colder, they are slowing down.

I hope to grow some things inside this winter. But it won't be the same. Until next year! Happy Gardening (in the passive state of course).

Homeschooling

2006-08-30T13:46:00.000-04:00

A little off topic but it does relate a bit to the gardens. We homeschool and a big part of that is our gardens. I have a blog of my homeschooling, the day, the lesson plans and every aspect that I can think of with our homeschooling journey. If interested visit A.K.K.H Natural School for a inside peek at our homeschool life.

Harvest Time

2006-08-28T13:57:00.000-04:00

The end of the garden season is approaching fast! Harvest time has begun for most things and continues on through the frost and freezes. But there comes a time for a major harvest of many things. How can you celebrate the harvest with your kids and the kid's gardens? Try having a harvest party.

1. Have the kids choose some vegetables and produce from their own gardens to add to the menu for your harvest party.

2. A harvest party is much more fun with others. Make it a potluck dinner where everyone joins in with fresh produce.

3. Games are fun but a good old fashioned bonfire complete with roasting marshmallows and hotdogs should suffice for many.

4. Don't forget some storytelling.

Happy Harvesting!

Worm's in the Kid's Garden

2006-08-14T10:38:00.000-04:00

Worms are cool, as my kids put it. They really like and understand worms. They aren't gross to them. I like worms. They help maintain a sense of balance. Plus they are much better than some insects in the garden (besides the bees, I really like bees better, the pollinators of our garden area).

Building a worm bin can help bring rich compost to the garden. Here's a few places that talk about worms, benefits of a worm bin and some fun places to check out with the kids on worms.

1. Squirmy Worms: Build a Worm Bin - This article explains the basics of a worm bin and how to get started with one.

2. Worm World - This has cool and fun facts about the worm's world.

3. Herman the Worm- This is another site that has worm facts. It is a great site for teachers and has a guide for teachers if they want to use it for a school kid's garden.

Happy gardening and worm composting.

Gardens Equal Food

2006-08-03T05:41:00.000-04:00

The kid's garden is the perfect spot to introduce to kids, especially the youngest ones, new vegetables and food. It can be a spot for food. Teach your kids about food production and gardening for food. Use this list as a starter.

1. Gardens Equal Food

This is my introductory article on agriculture and growing a garden for food. It has a link to Plant a Row for the Hungry, an organization that encourages you to grow an extra row in your garden and give it to local food banks for those who are in need.

2. Food Timeline

This is a good site for learning about how common items such as sugar came into our history.

3. History of Agriculture

This site, although a lot more in depth than the last site, still has plenty of great information to learn from.

4. A Brief History of Agriculture

This site is more brief and is broken into different time periods for more specific information.

Check these sites out or do your own research. And get gardening. Some things can still be planted in some places. Cool weather crops are great to start at this time of year. And if you can't start this year, plan for next year's crops or even start an indoor winter garden. More on that later.

Happy gardening!

Harvesting

2006-07-31T13:11:00.000-04:00

It is middle of summer and one of the things that comes with gardening is the harvest. It usually starts around mid summer with nice red ripe tomatoes and plump green and red peppers. How do you harvest a garden? How do you keep a harvest going?

Harvesting a garden can take patience especially with a larger garden. Knowing when and how to properly harvest a garden is the best bet. Learn all you can about havesting the vegetables and plants you have in your garden. Check out Harvest Fun for more ideas on how to have fun in the harvesting process.

One way to keep a harvest going, is by planting in succession . In other words, planting in several smaller batches that are spaced in time. Plant one row, then plant another row two weeks later. That way, the harvest doesn’t come all at once and overwhelms even the most experienced gardeners.

Happy Gardening to everyone and happy harvesting.

Flair and Fun in the the Kid's Garden

2006-07-19T14:16:00.000-04:00

There are many things to do in a kid’s garden besides the chores. You can build a garden teepee with the kids or add decorative signs and banners to their garden to add flair and life to the garden. It doesn’t have to be all plants does it? Have some garden fun today!

5 Top Things to Build in the Kid’s Garden:

1. Garden signs
2. Garden flags
3. Scarecrow
4. Garden teepee
5. Bird Feeder

Happy Gardening!

Edible flower gardens

2006-07-10T10:53:00.000-04:00

We have edible flowers in our garden. Only a few this year. We have nasturtium, pansies and violas. Can't forget the dandelions in the back and front yards. A lot of flowers are edible. But some flowers aren't and can be poisonous. Be careful when you are choosing flowers for consumption. Make very sure you are choosing completely edible flowers. Use a reliable reference book and perhaps you could call a local horticulturist, greenhouse or the local agriculture extension in your area for more help. Check out my new article on edible flowers.

Did you know? Every part of the nasturtium is edible. The leaves and flowers are great in a stir fry or a salad.

The Buzz in Our Gardens

2006-06-29T16:41:00.000-04:00

When my now oldest was very young, she never liked anything that buzzed by her, especially the bees. Some kids are like that. They don't like bees. They hear the horror stories about bees. Yes, bees do sting. But generally they do it out of self defense as a last resort, especially honeybees.

Get the Buzz on Bees in the Kid's Garden. Why do we need bees in our gardens? They help in many ways. Next time you see a bee, stop and think how it affects the way your garden looks, acts and is.

Vacation Time

2006-06-27T13:30:00.000-04:00

I'm going on vacation this Saturday (July 1st) and won't be back until late on the next Sunday (July 9th).

Going on vacation means leaving my gardens. But no worry for me! My mom is housesitting for me and she's a master gardener and knows what to do for my gardens. But some people aren't so lucky I guess. But that reminds me of the article I wrote Tip's for Kid's Gardens During Vacations. It has some helpful hints and tips for kid's gardens (and mom/dad's gardens as well) such as watering ideas and such.

A few more hints:

1. Make sure you water well before you go. That way less might be needed during the actual vacation.
2. Do the weeding before the vacation.
3. Mulching helps on all fronts (water, weeding and so on).

Have a safe vacation (if you too are traveling) and happy gardening!

Shhhh, There's a Secret Garden at Work.

2006-06-23T20:43:00.000-04:00

My garden is a sacred spot. I love to go there when I am feeling down, happy or any feeling in between. The kids have made it there sanctuary as well. My oldest has trampled a path in between the beds which is great for weeding and keeping the weeds from taking over.

So much can be found in the garden is you just know where to look. My secret gardens are a great place to notice things never before noticed.

Today I noticed the caterpillars had returned so I had to pick them and do the dirty work I call squishing the little buggers. Out back, they are bird food. But in front, nearest the house, the birds won't come near and thus I have been labeled a caterpillar killer. There are many more out there I am sure. I see them out there, landing and laying their eggs. Those beautiful white cabbage butterflies. But they are a menace to my cole crops. At least I have my back crops which don't seem to be affected as much. A great thing indeed.

What can you find in your secret garden today?

Kid's Pizza Garden

2006-06-21T10:10:00.000-04:00

Do your kids like pizza? If so, why not combine that favorite with the garden and make a kid's pizza garden.

If you want your kids to try new things on their pizza, this might be a good way to get them started. Something about growing their own crops makes some kids want to eat better.

June 18, 2006 Garden Tips: Weeds, Weeds and More Weeds

2006-06-18T10:48:00.000-04:00

Weeds are constantly out there searching for ways to sneak into your garden and snatch the very resources from your precious garden plants. They don’t do it maliciously but we gardeners tend to think they do. They need to survive too.

How can you live with weeds? One way you can live with weeds is to just accept them as a fact of gardening. They are menacing but sometimes they can help. How can weeds help you may ask? You may think I am a crazy gardener. But some weeds are a source of food for many pests that visit your garden.

The weeds distract the pests away from your garden plants. This allows the garden plants to grow while the pests munch on the weeds.

Another good way to live with weeds is to smother them with mulch. There is the typical wood mulches that you buy at home and garden stores and greenhouses. But you can use shredded newspapers, landscape fabric and even burlap! An old towel or bedsheet might work as well.

Visit the Little Gardeners forum for more tips and discussions on how you can make your kid’s garden a sanctuary for your kids.

Today’s Tips: Soaking Wet

2006-06-16T13:41:00.000-04:00

To help the kids with watering chores, get a soaker hose. This is basically a hose with tiny pores, or holes, that allow the water to seep through the hose into the ground around the hose. It slowly drips out. But be sure to turn off the hose at night so the garden doens’t get too wet when it’s cooler. This can cause problems such as mildew and other pests and diseases.

Check out Little Gardeners for more tips and ideas for your kid's garden.

What color green are you?

2006-06-15T11:56:00.000-04:00

Something fun and somewhat to do with gardening. What color green are you? Below, is my color green. It fits me too.

You Are Grass Green

Down to earth and a bit of a hippie, you are very into nature and the outdoors.

You accept the world and people as they are. You don't try to change things.

You are also very comfortable with yourself, flaws and all.

Optimistic about the future, you feel like life is always getting better.

What Color Green Are You?

Little Gardeners Forums

2006-06-09T18:45:00.000-04:00

Get yourself to the Little Gardeners Forums and Message boards for discussions on gardening with kids and gardening in general.

There are many other gardening and home forums at the same site too. So visit those, if you wish, as well.

Garden Jokes

2006-06-08T12:44:00.000-04:00

I wrote an article about garden jokes and the science behind them. I had so many jokes I wanted to put in there. Here are some other jokes besides the ones in the article.

What do you call a stolen spud? A hot potato.

Hot in this case means stolen. When potatoes get stolen from your garden who is the culprit? There are many insect pests of potato plants including potato bugs and those roly poly bugs we call sow bugs. Raccoons could be the culprit too as they are known to eat just about anything. Raccoons are commonly called theives because of their cunning nature.

What does the letter "A" have in common with a flower?
A: They both have bees coming after them.

Bees are great for the garden. They help pollinate flowers and vegetables. So bring them around your garden. Usually, they won't hurt you if you are not aggressive toward them. Wasps tend to be aggressive but they do much the same thing as bees too.

Q: Why don't you ever iron a four-leaf clover?
A: You might press your luck.

Do four-leaf clover plants bring you luck? Not sure about that but you could be lucky to find them. You can buy a four leaf clover plant at some greenhouses and home and garden stores now. I have been collecting four-leaf clovers for many years now. My mom always made comments at how easily I could find them. So she bought a four-leaf clover plant several years ago and said "SEE I can find them too!". I had to laugh.

Themes for the Kid’s Garden

2006-05-26T14:35:00.000-04:00

The kids might already like their gardens. Or maybe they are growing bored of it. Why not have a theme to put some more spice into the garden?

Herbs are a nice theme to a kid’s garden. Most herbs are easy to grow and many have beautiful flowers if you let them go to flower. Not to mention that many are edible and are great for culinary (or kitchen and food) use.

What about a kid’s favorite color? Putting in plants and flowers that have the kid’s favorite color is an attractive way to keep the kid’s love for gardening alive and well.

Now, the boys might not like this one but they can have cars, trucks and other themes if they’d like. But a fairy garden is a wonderful theme idea to get the kids motivated especially the younger girls.

So go ahead and brainstorm some possible themes for your kid’s garden.

Weeds are Irritating

2006-05-23T17:35:00.000-04:00

Darned Weeds! The weeds are overtaking my garden. Well, not quite yet they are and I will be sure to not let them take it over! There are some options I have.

I can mulch more. The mulch does many things. It helps control pesky weeds and helps retain moisture. Getting the right mulch helps. Of course, cedar mulch last longer. It’s more expensive though and some studies have indicated that it might be toxic in large quantities (but that could be one of those strange hoaxes out there). So I use cheaper mulch that says on the bag that it’s safe for vegetable gardens.

I usually get out the weed eater too each week to whack weeds around the gardens where the mower can’t get to it. That can be hard work but it’s worth the effort. I plant a little closer in the vegetable garden too. Normally this would be a bad idea because it can cause disease ridden plants to easily transfer the disease to other plants. But in my gardens, which are raised beds and containers the plants can be planted a little closer. There is less contact with diseased soil and better control of pests. With mulch, contact with soil can be nearly obilterated because the plants won’t be splashed with soil when watering. The mulch will prevent this.

Darned Weeds! I could get weed killer but cultivating in between rows is the organic way to go and is much safer for the family. Happy Gardening.

Breaks from Gardening Chores

2006-05-17T18:03:00.000-04:00

We recently have run into a chance to break from gardening chores. So we decided to do something fun for the garden. Have your own garden fun with these ideas.

There are many more fun ideas too that could be done for the garden. Hopefully this article will help inspire you to other great garden projects.

Happy Gardening!

Favorite Garden Plants

2006-05-12T11:00:00.000-04:00

At the Little Gardeners message boards , I posted a question about favorite herbs.

I just dove this year into herbs headlong. But I do have favorites that I used to get from my Mom. I love chives, basil and oregano. Those are my favorite fresh herbs. I like cilantro and a lot of people don't like it. It has a strong citrus bite to it that some claim tastes a bit like soap. So I guess I like soap! (Maybe it's that soap cleaned out with water as a child thing, just kidding, Mom!)

My other favorites are peppers and tomatoes and I just love growing carrots. This year, however my carrots haven't done so well. I think I may redo them as it isn't too late to get them out still.

So what are your favorites?

Vacation Season is Upon Us

2006-05-05T12:29:00.000-04:00

Tips for Kid's Gardens During Vacation

Warmer weather means vacation time. I think people are planning their vacations right at this moment you are reading this. But if you are a gardener, it can cause worry and stress. Why? It means you will have to leave your gardens. You may worry about who will take care of the gardens, who will weed, water and take care of other general duties involved in gardening.

Your kids may or may not worry depending on the type of personality they have. But you should make plans for your garden as much as you'd make plans for your general housecare, especially if you plan to be away for more than a few days.

Be safe, happy in gardening and have a great summer vacation.

Why Should Kids Garden: A List of Mom’s Reasons (part five)

2006-05-02T18:11:00.000-04:00

Part Five: Beautify the Yard

Making the yard beautiful is another reason to garden. Kids often see beauty in a different sense though. That adds flavor to any yard.

My daughters see wildflowers as beauty. I often get gifts of dandelions, grape hyacinths and the occasional clover flower. These things are beautiful if in check. You wouldn’t necessarily let them run rampant all over the yard. But you could let places become havens for these little beauties.

You don’t need harsh chemicals to make your yard green. Sometimes that can cause more death. Each person’s idea of beautiful is different. So it’s true to the phrase “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Besides, wildflowers bring in all sorts of beautiful creatures like butterflies and birds.

Add some flowers, or some flowering vegetables to the yard. A few cucumbers to the yard in a tire can add color to the yard. How about some wildflowers in a bed near the front of the yard? Beauty can be added just about anywhere in the yard.

Get the kids involved with beautifying the neighborhood by making your own yard a beautiful place to visit.

Why Should Kids Garden: A List of Mom’s Reasons (part four)

2006-05-01T12:23:00.000-04:00

Part Four: Safe Food

Another main reason for getting the kids involved with gardening is to show them proper and healthy nutrition. Home-grown vegetables and the like are a great way to introduce new vegetables in your kid’s diet. Food you thought they’d never eat (those little green things called Brussels Sprouts and spinach) they might eat if they have grown it themselves.

Something about home-grown vegetables taste better than the store-bought versions. Home-grown varieties are generally safer especially when you don’t use all those pesticides, herbicides and other harsh nasty chemicals on them.

(continued...at the Little Gardeners Message Board

Why Should Kids Garden: A List of Mom’s Reasons Part Three

2006-04-27T12:29:00.000-04:00

Part Three: Energy Release

We all need an energy release. Kids need it too, perhaps more so when spring fever hits. The weather warms up and they want to be outside. Why not take advantage of this and have them help you garden.

Gardening does take energy indeed. There are many garden chores to do. Weeding, raking, weeding some more, transplanting, and watering are just a few of these chores. They take energy. Kids can get great exercise gardening.

Even a few minutes a day can help get your kids outside, motivated and in motion.

Why Should Kids Garden: A List of Mom’s Reasons (part two)

2006-04-26T14:21:00.000-04:00

Part Two: Creativity

Creativity sometimes gets lost in our children. They are sometimes stifled by all the responsibility it seems. Or they think so. But a garden is a great place to encourage creativity. How?

Choice of containers, planting arrangements, types of plants chosen to grow are just a few of the ways creativity can be expressed in the garden.

When I started out gardening, I started out with just a few plants. I had a huge yard but my budget (and time) were constrained that first year. I started thinking of ways to cut back or cut out problems. I thought about raised bed gardens .

My mom had a lot of success with apartment gardening, with containers and window boxes. When she moved to a small modular home, she moved to raised bed gardens. I thought I could do this but I didn’t have the knowledge of how to build the beds. I wanted something different.

One day, while traveling to their house, I noticed a few people along the way have block gardens. In other words, they built a raised bed garden with blocks. A few miles later, I saw the cinder blocks and thought what a grand idea! I could build a garden from cinder blocks.

A few months later after I had built the cinder block gardens, I came across a book in a garden catalog that discussed this very thing. While my idea was found to not be unique, it was definitely something I enjoyed coming up with.

My kids and I also use just about any container. Tires, kitty litter containers, buckets and an occasional old blue swimming pool that no longer holds water are all garden ideas we came up with together. We held a brainstorm session and then went from there.

Why Should Kids Garden: A List of Mom’s Reasons

2006-04-25T11:36:00.000-04:00

There are many reasons to get the kids involved in gardening. But mom’s have the best reasons why. Here are a few of my reasons why I think every kid should have at least a taste of gardening.

Part One: Responsibility

Gardening teaches kids responsibility and consequences of actions (or inaction). Not only does it teach patience, but a real understanding of how nature sometimes works (and not always in your favor).

I bought some cole crops this past weekend: Broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts. I also bought some celery. I transplanted them on Saturday night close to evening because the day was hot and I didn’t really want to plant them out in the hot weather.

The next morning, they seemed fine and it had rained that morning early so I didn’t think they needed to be watered. But when I got home from errands, some of the weaker ones (with small stems, leaves and very shallow roots compared to the rest) were wilting.

Luckily, most seemed okay and when I watered them, they seemed okay. But I showed this to my daughters so that they understood how plants sometimes react to things. They need water and sometimes we can’t tell until it’s too late. They didn’t seem as interested in this but I did tell them the consequences. So somehow I hope this teaches them there is more to gardening than the end result. Sometimes to get there, you have to take the hard trail to reach that destination.

An Io moth picture

2006-04-21T11:27:00.000-04:00

Photograph by: Katina Mooneyham, Copyright (C) 2004

Related to yesterday's post Butterfly and
the Kid's Garden , is today's post. It's a picture of what we believe to be an Io Moth. It came by a few years ago but I haven't seen one since. They are pretty destructive things, so I have heard so maybe that's a good thing. But it sure was a beautiful site. It was a pretty big moth too about three inches long spread out! I had to move him eventually. I moved him a little to take this picture but he let me get pretty close. I didn't disturb him too much.

I live in Ohio and I think these are unusual in my area.

Butterfly and the Kid's Garden

2006-04-20T15:18:00.000-04:00

This butterfly absolutely loved my Bee Balm. I believe the butterfly is the female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. The female is black and blue while the male is black and yellow.

Chasing Butterflies

Compost Pile for Kids

2006-04-19T10:51:00.002-04:00

Composting in the garden is important. So teaching your kids about composting is also a very important step in the gardening process. Build a compost pile for kids today!

These are some of the questions that kids often ask about composting .

What things can go into a compost pile?
Why does it rot?
What is the compost good for?

Good luck with your compost and Happy Gardening!

Building a Pea Fence

2006-04-18T09:30:00.000-04:00

I bought two wooden garden stakes about five feet high. You can use any size from four feet high and up but I wanted mine a bit higher. Past experience shows that in optimal conditions the pea plants might grow higher than the expected four feet.

I drill holes, a small hole really, but big enough to get some garden twine through. I drill the holes about four to five inches apart the whole length of the stakes. It’s better to build the pea fence while the stakes are already set in place. I just usually use a rock or mallet to pound the stakes into the ground next to the peas. Try to get the fence as close to the peas as possible so when they start growing it’s easier for the peas to latch on to the fence. The peas grow tendrils that reach for just about anything including weeds and other plants. So be sure to stay vigilant until you train the peas to climb the fence.

I start by twining the horizontals first. Then I make a criss cross pattern in the middle of the fence somewhere. Then hang verticals from the top to the bottom. Some pea fences have different patterns than others. It just depends on each year, the type of twine I have or just how I want it that year. It changes from year to year. The more ragged, the better the peas love it.

Enjoy making your pea fence. It’s one of the many garden chores that I do enjoy.

Building a Kid's Garden: Raised Beds

2006-04-13T11:47:00.000-04:00

Recently I posted a picture of my cinder block garden from last year. I changed the shape of it this year to accomodate my changing needs (in other words I am pregnant and can't reach quite as far without hurting myself!)

Here is what the raised bed looks like this year. It's on my personal blog Thursday April 13, 2006.

I have a description and more about raised beds for kids at Building a Kid's Garden: Raised Beds .

Last year's container gardens

2006-04-12T11:54:00.000-04:00

[ Photograph by: Katina Mooneyham, Copyright 2005 ]

I thought I'd post another picture. This picture is of my container gardens last year. I love container gardens and so do the kids. They are easier for them to handle (especially when they were younger).

Raised beds and containers are the best option for me. I like the look of them in and around my house. They soil around my house isn't the best and it's just takes some equipment that I don't have. So I build raised gardens and use containers to build our garden.

Little Gardeners

Tick Season

2006-04-10T11:59:00.000-04:00

It's officially Tick Season. At least here it is because we just found the first tick. Luckily it wasn't attached to my young daughter's leg. But she has been taught to recognize the tick and for what it is.

There are dangers in the garden sometimes so be careful when gardening with your kids.

Some dangers can be completely avoided. Some are hard to know that it is dangerous. But still, happy gardening and have a great gardening day!

Digging in the Dirt

2006-04-07T14:49:00.000-04:00

Check out Digging in the Dirt: A Little About Soil

Kids love to dig in the dirt. Even my oldest almost teenage daughter is finding her 'dirt' legs once again. For awhile she didn't want to get dirty. I am not sure if it was just a trend. She also eats things that she didn't eat a couple years back so maybe she is finally coming around to better accepting the adult ways.

My youngest will play in the dirt for hours if I let her. She especially loves mud. Makes mud pies still at 6 years old.

There sure is a lot more to learn about soil and dirt.

On the Last Post...

2006-04-05T10:03:00.000-04:00

I made a slight error with the link in the last post. I am sorry. I fixed the link in the last post to be correct now. But I will post it here too.

The correct link= Designing a Kid's Garden: By Seed or Plant

Designing a Kid's Garden

2006-04-04T14:42:00.000-04:00

Designing a kid’s garden can be a chore especially if you have children who are impatient. Deciding how to start is a task. But do you know where to start?

The question usually is, "Do I start by seed or plant?". Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

So what’s it going to be? By Seed or Plant?

Some of my violas...

2006-04-03T11:17:00.000-04:00

Here is a picture of some of my violas. I tried to set the flowers up in pretty arrangements and color coordination and all that this year instead of just planting them wherever.

(Photograph by: Katina Mooneyham, Copyright 2006)

Violas are much similar to pansies.

The kids loved transplanting these especially the younger one because she got to dig in the dirt!

In the background is a bed I transformed yesterday into a much better configuration, one that I can handle better and reach across better.

Little Gardeners

In My Garden This Year

2006-03-31T14:51:00.000-05:00

Over the years, my garden has changed. It's changed with my growing knowledge (in so many ways) and my tastes. But one thing hasn't really changed and that is the spur of the moment decisions I make at times.

Last year at this time I was uncovering my strawberry patch in early March. Now, it is going to be early April. But one thing is for sure that I go by whim sometimes. I bought pansies and violas yesterday that I wasn't planning to buy this year. They just looked so beautiful.

Check out my article to see what I was doing in March last year.

In My Garden

2006-03-29T15:24:00.000-05:00

Photograph by: Katina Mooneyham, Copyright 2005

Last year's weather was much more cooperative. This was my front yard garden from last year. It's slightly changed this year with this particular bed lenghtened and made less wide (so it's easier for me to access). The tires in front have swiss chard and zucchini (from left to right). The other tire to the right of the cinder block garden has starburst squash (a pattypan squash) in it. Then there is the corn on the right. This year's corn bed is much bigger and encompasses the whole front bed. And then I have my wild herbs, Egyptian mint and lemon balm growing in the lower right corner of the picture. The net in the background is for some beans we experimented with. They turned out pretty well except that bean beetles decided to invade. Yes, those are kitty litter containers being used to house the bean seeds. I washed them with hot and soapy water two or three times and then used them. We are all about cheap containers and such. New inventive ways to garden. The Main bed has pepper plants that I got from someone who was moving and needed to be rid of them. They were free so I couldn't complain. I still have peppers frozen from last year because we got so many of them! These were mainly hot peppers.

I hope to have a picture soon of the new area.

Preparing the Garden for the Growing Season

2006-03-28T13:49:00.000-05:00

Garden preparation is important in the gardening experience. It is vital to get the kids involved in the garden preparation if they are to understand fully gardening. There is some work but it needn't be all that hard work. Sure, some of it is mundane and probably boring at times. But it is very important for the health and efficiency of the garden.

Check out my new article at Little Gardeners on Garden Preparation .

Tire Recycling

2006-03-25T15:36:00.000-05:00

I have a habit of pointing out old tires just lying around on the ground whenever we go out somewhere. I will say Ooo a tire! and everyone just laughs and rolls their eyes. It's because I am obssessed with tire gardening.

It started a few years back when I wanted a garden but didn't have a lot of money. So we came across some old tires just lying around in the ditch. From then on, it worked for us. That year I planted some squash in them, about three plants and had so much squash that I was almost tired of it all. I had to give some away.

Tires are good for those sort of vegetables because they like the heat. The black and compostition of the tire makes good for holding in the heat of the summer sun.

Some worry about the chemicals in tires but I've read most are not water soluble so they are pretty much safe. But if you are worried then I suppose you could plant flowers in them.

In the past two years we have come across a big tractor tire that one of our friends found when he bought his house (don't ask!). So he gave it to us. This year my oldest daughter wants to use it for a flower garden. She isn't much into vegetables this year as she is flowers. So it's the perfect tire for her.

Happy Tire Gardening!

Gardening in the Snow

2006-03-20T11:45:00.000-05:00

It's slated to snow here in central Ohio tonight. The experts say 3-5 inches. It's March for crying out loud! When will this horror end?

I am glad however that I waited patiently, that I continue to wait patiently for Spring to arrive. I wanted to plant so badly last week when it felt like early summer. But I knew better than to let spring fever hit too early.

Sometimes patience helps. I've learned that this week so far.

The kids are thinking way ahead at harvest time. My youngest can't wait for her orange watermelons to grow!

Here's to thinking about gardening. Maybe if we all think it, it will come soon!

Dandelions

2006-03-16T19:41:00.000-05:00

You mean someone actually likes dandelions? Yes, I do. I find their pretty yellow faces a beautiful surprise in the summer. They don't have to be a nuisance, a noxious weed though.

Plus, they should be considered The Kid's Weed

Have you a heart for a dandelion? Give it a try.

Gardening Today by Katina Mooneyham

2006-03-15T15:29:00.000-05:00

In the garden today...there is something green growing. I think it’s onion leftovers from last year. I planted some onions amongst the stray pepper plants I got from an unwanted garden. They didn’t grow very well as the pepper plants towered over them.

But they are starting to grow. I thought about digging them up and we could transplant them. But I am putting lettuce in that bed this year so it’s a perfect companion to lettuce. Plus it will hopefully keep out pests that love to eat lettuce.

The kids are so worried that we won’t have a garden this year. My youngest can’t wait. The temperature isn’t quite right yet. I will wait a few weeks before I start even my hardiest of plants (lettuce and radishes).

I have been told to relax and take it easy by a lot of people. This pregnancy is doing a number on my body.

But it won’t stop us from gardening. Just gives us new ways to think about gardening.

Gardening Blogs

2006-03-13T10:55:00.000-05:00

I have a few blogs that I write at that include some garden articles I wrote.

One thing I learned (okay a lifetime worth of things learned) about gardening is that it doesn't always happen when you want it to. I have been planning to start my lettuce this week for some time now. But it doesn't look like the weather is going to cooperate. Right now it's close to 70 degrees! But overnight that will change and we will be lucky to hit above freezing. Why is Mother Nature punishing us gardeners?

mskatmoon's blog
mskatmoon's garden blog