There is no greater place to learn than in the garden. Whether you garden in containers, a family garden, a community garden site of other location kids love to garden. Hands on learning at its finest. Kids Digging In to Make a Difference for their family, community and beyond can happen by planting a little extra to share with someone in need. My challenge to all kids is to “Dare to Share Plant some to Spare.” Happy gardening. – MManning
Hey kids!! If you had planned to have a garden, this year but for some reason it did not happen – it is not too late…..
Finding seeds or starts this time of year can be difficult – but do not give up, consider your options. Ask an adult to place a post on your local Front Porch Forum often people do not plant the entire package of seeds and may have extras they are willing to share, reach out to other friends on social media or search local feed and gardening stores that usually have seeds or talk to your family about ordering from a seed company.
While it might be late to plant those vegetables that require a long growing season like mammoth pumpkins it is not too late to plant many other types of vegetables. Consider planting greens, lettuce, radishes, beans, potatoes, onions and many other types. Take a survey of your family. Ask each person what their favorite vegetables are and then plan your garden. Of course if you tally the survey results and not a single person likes broccoli then your garden space may be better used growing carrots rather than broccoli. I must admit that I do not like tomatoes, not on a sandwich, not grilled, not anywhere raw – but I do like salsa, spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, ketchup – you get the idea, but I LOVE the smell of growing tomato plants so I grow paste type tomatoes for processing.
Consider a kids garden, a family garden or neighborhood project with each participant helping to plant, weed and harvest. Even very young kids can plant onion sets, bean seeds, potatoes or other large easy to handle seeds. When my kids were young and wanted to help I would poke a stick into the ground to indicate where they should drop the seeds. My rows were not always the straightest or the plants evenly spaced but they wanted to help.
My challenge to all kids is to “Dare to Share Plant some to Spare.” When you plan your garden plant a few extra plants to share with someone in need. Maybe a neighbor, a grandparent, a local food pantry there are many possibilities. One extra cucumber plant can produce many pounds of fresh produce to share. Think of the endless possibilities…… Every kid planting a little extra to share can have an impact in their community. Even a single squash plant may produce more than one family wants so share the extra.
If you did plant a garden earlier and have been starting to enjoy fresh produce consider doing some succession planting – when your first crop of greens have been enjoyed re-cultivate that space and plant a second crop that will have plenty of time to mature – consider beans, cucumbers, beets, etc. Succession planting allows you to get two or more crops per year from the same space – maximizing your land.
If you planted early and are enjoying greens and other produce give this yummy salad recipe a try – it is a favorite at my house.
Spinach Strawberry Salad
- 4-6 cups fresh spinach – washed and drained
- 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries – washed, hulled and sliced
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds
- For Salad dressing mix together: 1/2 cup canola or olive oil, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/3 cup maple syrup, 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Pour dressing over greens and strawberries. Toss gently and top with almonds. Enjoy. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.
Remember the challenge…. Dare to Share Plant some to Spare…………….
