Raising City Boys Outside

We live in a major urban center, and at this point, we aren't even allowed chickens in our neighborhood.  We have to actively seek out opportunities for our boys to get outside, to spend time around animals, to learn how things grow.  Fortunately, we have a lot of support from family and friends in this. …

Gardening with a Preschooler: The Strawberry Experiment

This summer for one of his projects, my three year old has been diligently caring for a strawberry plant. He waters it, keeps it clear of weeds, and on three separate occasions has had the supreme delight of picking a strawberry off of it. That's right. Spoiled as it is, the plant has only yielded …

Gardening with a Preschooler: Strawberries

An update on our three-year-old and his gardening project: We wanted our preschooler to take more ownership of our family garden this year, and as he is in a big "all by myself" phase, we decided that he needed a gardening project that would be his own.  Last year, we purchased two strawberry plants and …

Gardening with a Preschooler: How Plants Grow

Our seed project has been taking off!  Our preschooler planted zinnias in a few pots, and he has been faithfully watering them every day and making sure they get plenty of sun.  The sprouts are finally big enough to put in the ground, so we transplanted them this week.  In the process, we got a …

Heirloom Bloom

My grandfather loved his flower garden.  I recall my mom planting a few tomato plants for them one year, but for the most part, they grew the flowers.  A mountain of snapdragons.  Hoards of little pansies that my grandma always says look like men with mustaches.  Peonies as big as your head.  And my favorite: …

Little Green Thumb: Gardening with a Preschooler

One of our big summer goals for this year has been keeping a vegetable garden.  We tried last year but without much success (weeds, squash bugs, some kind of hex on our peppers...), so we are being more deliberate and conscientious stewards of our garden this year.  In order to make it easier (and safer) …

Kids in the Garden

Are your kids driving you crazy in the house?  Good.  The weather's finally nice enough to throw them outside. It's 70 degrees here in The Middle, my daffodils are blooming, and my three-year-old is in seventh heaven working in the garden. Even very young kids can do many useful and productive tasks in the garden. …