Louisiana Nursery has been keeping busy between our three stores as so many new and returning customers visit, ready to get back to planting! With some of the restrictions for capacity being lifted we can accommodate those days out with the family and gardening is the perfect activity for everyone to get involved with. Most of the adults that shop with us have been doing so for many years now. One of the most common questions I’m asked when working the floor is how to get young children and teens into maintaining their own gardens or household plants. Teaching a child to be responsible for a plant is a great test run for scheduled responsibility more generally – such as caring for a pet. However, there are a lot more things to be learned from this character-building experience.
If your child is especially young and you are attempting to teach them the very basics of gardening, I am a advocate of DIY projects such as creating a drip feeder out of a used soda bottle, or growing a seed from scratch in a wet paper towel and moving that sprout into a homemade pot. Young children are attracted to tangible experience and learn a lot from things they can see and feel. Instead of purchasing the usual garden ornaments, perhaps decorating your own rocks to scatter around the beds would at least give them something to do while you get through spring cleaning.
If you have a slightly older child who can grasp more conceptual ideas, I have always seen success in allowing them choice and agency within the garden planning. Ask your child which type of plant and pot combo interests them when making the purchase. Try to express your goal for the end-result of the garden. The biggest difference between the introduction to plants / planting and this conceptual viewpoint is seeing the yard as a project to be completed in whole. You may be weary about allowing your child to have a personal “lot” in your limited garden real estate, so involving them in your thought process will make them more inclined in helping you achieve your vision while also keeping interest in the activity.
If you are an adult and weren’t lucky enough to have a parent take any of the previous suggestions for a spin with you, I would suggest getting a fruit or vegetable plant as your first project. While there is satisfaction and pride in creating beautiful color, nothing beats being able to eat the product of all your hard work. Growing a tasty snack from start to finish motivates and teaches one so much without the huge initial investment some gardens have.
I hope this was useful advice! Seeing families go to the nursery and planning the start of a project that will keep you busy for months is a beautiful thing. It teaches many virtues at such a young age.
Have a blessed day!
