With snow still in the forecast and Mr. Punxsutawney Phil supposedly thinking we’ve got 5 more weeks of winter, I may seem a bit ahead of myself talking about gardens; in fact, now is the perfect time to start planning one.
Whether you’ve had one for years or want to finally find out if you have a green thumb, planting a garden is a great way to teach your children the cycle of plant life. Backyard gardens not only create cleaner air around us, but also produce beautiful foliage and flowers and/or fruits and vegetables that we can enjoy in our own homes.
Our family has talked about planting a garden for years. Previously, we lived in such a hot, dry environment that the one year we tried to plant a raised-bed vegetable garden, the Spring was so hot that everything burned and died. We got a little discouraged, but now that we live in a much more temperate atmosphere, we are excited about growing our own veggies and fruits. We will probably do a raised bed again, which is perfect if you do not have the space or the right soil to plant a garden right into the ground.
You can make raised beds any size and shape to fit your yard and better yet, you can use recycled or repurposed materials to frame them. Old tires of different sizes would be perfect: get a discarded car tire (or larger), clean them, then fill your soil. Now you’ve got an original circular garden. Arrange three or four of them together. Now you can plant all sorts of wildflower seeds which will not only smell great and beautify your backyard, but also attract new birds and insects to your area.
You could also play on the circular theme of your raised bed tire garden: turn it into a pizza garden! Plant all of the veggies, fruits and herbs you love on your favorite pizza (Pineapple might be a bit difficult, but you get the idea.) The kids will have a great time watching and anticipating the day that they can harvest their produce and “decorate” their own dinner.
Best of all, both types of gardens can be grown organically. Just think, if you find you’ve got enough room and passion, you can grow extra produce and sell it at your local farmer’s market.
Hope this gets you and the kids excited for Spring. If you want to take organic gardening a step further, you can always learn to recycle your rainwater for a drip irrigation system, or if you get really ambitious you could start your own compost pile, too.
