When you are gardening with kids, don’t be too picky, crooked rows are fine!
The rows don’t need to be straight, their hoeing form doesn’t need to be perfect, and yes, the plants will grow, even if they are too close together and some plants even grow after they have been stepped on. A garden is not the place for kids AND perfection.
Just having my kids garden with me is a treat. I like when they take interest in things that are good!
Talk to them and teach them that it is NOT okay to step on the plants, pull their leaves off, or pick things too soon. Be patient and teach them to be gentle when caring for plants. Show them how to handle them by example.
I have found that if kids are hounded to perfection, they lose interest. Take your time to cultivate a love for gardening by teaching by doing. Include them in your gardening endeavors. They will catch on and imitate what you do. Someday, you will look back on the times in the garden, when they were little; stepping on plants, making crooked rows, eating half the crop before it goes in the harvest basket, and wish you could do it all over again. I have many childhood memories of doing these very things. They are wonderful memories.
Let them know there are rules in the garden, but don’t run them off by being so picky that it is not enjoyable anymore.
Your kids are only young once; be thankful, they chose to be in the garden with you, and don’t be too picky!
Are you patient or picky with your kids in the garden? Tell me about it below.
Gardening with Kids: Plant Interesting Plants…and Study Them Together
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