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- From: <miranda@tagoresmith.com>
- To: "'gardenwriters-on-gardening'" <gwl-g@lists.ibiblio.org>
- Subject: RE: [gwl-g] Children's Gardens
- Date: Sat, 12 Jun 2004 08:15:31 -0400
Hi. Having had many children's gardens at various CSA's, I have some
suggestions. First of all, lots of straw mulch. You cannot expect more
than 3 to 5 minutes of weeding every few days, so you must mulch as much
as possible--paths and as close to the plants as they can take it.
Bean tee-pees are a hit. But you have to make them large enough for a
couple of kids to crawl into at a time, and you must sink the poles
deeply and securely so that they don't fall over when jostled. Because
they will be jostled, if not rammed.
Novelty plants are great--tiny and huge, funny looking and beautiful.
Many children have never seen Brussels Sprout grow, for example. If you
announce that you are growing cabbages from Mars when you plant them,
the children will be enchanted--more than one CSA kid turned into a
Brussels sprout fan after tending to this plant all season. \
Cherry tomatoes are a natural, as are Easter Egg radishes, round
carrots, and striped beets. Tomatillos, red bell peppers, and patty pan
squash are also good choices. And corn, of course. The small strawberry
corn is a great treat as is popcorn.
I think it's crucial to teach a love of insects to children and plant to
draw beneficial insects into the garden. I let a certain amount of
damage occur in the interest of promoting respect for the insects. I
have never known a child who was not fascinated by the interplay between
all these creatures.
Depending where you live, structures such as frog houses (upturned clay
pots with "doors" chipped out of them, bird houses, bird baths, and bat
houses are welcome additions.
--Most of all, no one should have a hissy if the garden is a little
unkempt. Your garden can be tidy; theirs can look like they want their
rooms to look as long as it isn't drawing pests and diseases to the rest
of the area.
Miranda
-----Original Message-----
From: gwl-g-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:gwl-g-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of fran gustman
Sent: Friday, June 11, 2004 8:26 PM
To: gwl-g@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [gwl-g] Children's Gardens
I am interested in what would make the perfect garden for children. What
would you include if you were completely free to do as you wished?
Fran
Fran Gustman, fgustman@juno.com
Boston, MA, Zone 6
Urban Gardener Columnist, Allston-Brighton TAB
Editor, HortResources Newsletter, www.hortresources.org
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-
[gwl-g] Children's Gardens,
fran gustman, 06/11/2004
-
Re: [gwl-g] Children's Gardens,
tloallergyfree, 06/12/2004
- Re: [gwl-g] Children's Gardens, Melanie, 06/12/2004
-
RE: [gwl-g] Children's Gardens,
miranda, 06/12/2004
-
Re: [gwl-g] Children's Gardens,
Melanie, 06/12/2004
- RE: [gwl-g] Children's Gardens, miranda, 06/12/2004
-
Re: [gwl-g] Children's Gardens,
Melanie, 06/12/2004
-
Re: [gwl-g] Children's Gardens,
Linda Schaffner, 06/12/2004
- RE: [gwl-g] Children's Gardens, Jeff Ball, 06/13/2004
-
Re: [gwl-g] Children's Gardens,
tloallergyfree, 06/12/2004
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