Why Now is the Right Time to Give Our Kids Their Own Garden

I read a statistic today that said over 70% of food that is in the grocery stores in America is genetically modified. Unfortunately, that's not surprising.  

It's getting harder and harder and more expensive to get organic food. But we know this already. That's why we grow our own food, homestead, go off grid.  

I saw a disturbing video recently and people commented, saying surely this couldn't be real. I think it is real. In the video, kindergarten kids were asked to identify vegetables and no one in the class could do it. Not even a tomato. Not a potato. Not one. 

I want my little fireball of a daughter to not only be able to identify veggies and fruits, but to identify their seeds. Anyone addicted to heirloom seeds? Yeah! Save those little suckers and plant, plant, plant. 

Photo Credit: anitapeppers, Morguefile

But there's more than just identification. There's a lost art in passing down gardening skills through the generations. Three of my grandparents died before I was born. The one I did have was not very close to the family, so I didn't get to spend time in her garden, talking about how the beans were doing or how to get rid of aphids. 

I didn't get to experience her home-cooking. I do remember bright pink peonies growing alongside her house. I thought maybe all grandmothers grew these. And I remember the outhouse. It's funny. Now I want one. Life has its surprises. 

My daughter doesn't have the luxury of close grandparents, either. Everyone lives so far away. So if she doesn't learn generational skills from her mom and dad, who will teach her? 

We can take the sadness of the situation and turn it into something wonderful. We can give her a garden of her own. Of course, she can help with the main family garden, but how much more precious will that little square foot pile of garden soil be for a little one to plant to her heart's desire! 

Photo Credit: kakisky, Morguefile

My first gardening experience with my parents was limited to picking the tomatoes off the vine when they were ripe. I wasn't allowed to touch anything else or help in any kind of way so that I wouldn't kill something. Well, I say if it dies, plant another one! Gardening isn't always pretty. In fact, it's pretty messy.  

I've read many articles of adults that reminisce over memories of gardening with their parents. What a wonderful gift to give to our children: Memories of gardening, learning life's lessons that can't quite be learned the same way anywhere else. 

Here's to our kids! 

God bless and happy gardening!