I’m a farmer to my roots. I come from a multi-generational farming family, who taught me to appreciate the beauty in the “common,” like dirt and plants. Also, my family opened my eyes to the lessons a garden can teach about caring and graciously receiving.
Now, that I am a mama, I try to take the same opportunity they did to teach the next generation how wonderful it is to grow our own food. I live in an apartment with a tiny patio, but I don’t let that stop me. I am on my way to master the art of growing plants in pots. I choose plants that can be eaten as different plants mature, all the while teaching my littles small lessons along the way.
Though all plants teach patience, love, nurturing, and commitment, some can be used to teach other lessons:
- Tomatoes: colors, pulling, supporting plants that grow tall.
- Basil: pruning and gentle touch.
- Jalapeños: the perfect plant to teach gardening and cycle of a plant from planting, budding, pollinating, fruit growing, seed/fruit harvesting, and planting, again.
- Edible Flowers: well, why not. They are beautiful and fun.
- Aloe: the homeopathic side to plants. How to watch for spikes and thorns. Aloe also have a very unique way of creating shoots/new plants, which is amazing to watch and explain to littles.
Start small! Just one plant can be a ton of fun for the kids. Enjoy the time in the dirt and embrace the fun bonding moments you can have with your littles. All the plants listed above have survived the heavy-handed flood of water from my little, so if this happens to you, don’t stress - your plant should survive. Happy planting everyone!
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