The Veggies Aren't The Only Thing Growing: So Is The Family Gardening Fun!

Have you considered planting a garden this year? This year try a family gardening project.

Are you wondering what your benefits will be? Well the benefits will be more satisfying than you think.

Family gardening will teach the whole family organization as each member learns

• When to plant
  
• When to water and
  
• When to harvest the crop.

You will be planting lasting seeds of team work, trust and the ability to take care of oneself, too. 

How To Plan Your Garden

Planning your garden involves a pen and paper as well as a thinking brain.

When planning your garden you need to consider the following:

• Where you want your garden
  
• How big you want you garden to be
• What plants you are going to put in your garden, and
  
• If your garden is near a source of water

Preparing For Your Family Gardening Adventure

You want your garden to be in a spot that gets sun most of the day and is near a source of water. Remember it is more important to have water near your garden than it is to have your garden in the sun.

Then you need to decide how big or small you want your garden to be depending on how many rows of plants you are going to plant.  Then you need to prepare the ground by tilling, spreading manure and tilling it under.

Another good idea is (if you have any) to put chickens in the garden after you have tilled. Chickens will eat all the things that you do not want in your garden, such as weeds and bugs.

It is good to read the seed packages to see if one of the plants need to be in semi shade. If so consider planting it between the sunflowers and corn to give it some shade.

Now sketch a drawing of your garden.  Be sure to show what plants are in each row.

It is also good to remember that since the sun rises in the east you want your tall plants on the west side of your garden so they don't hog the sun all day.

Planting Your Garden

Planting your garden is the funnest part about family gardening. Each family member has a role to play. Materials include:

• Spikes
  
• String
  
• Shovel
• Seeds
  
• And a couple hands

The string is tied to two spikes that are pounded into the ground making a nice straight row. With the end of a shovel, push into the ground as many inches as directed on the back of the seed package.

Do this all the way to the end of the row while being followed by a little kid who is dropping a seed in each hole. After the seeder should come another child whose job is to cover the seed. 

Now if you have as many kids as we do there could be three or four teams of three: the hole maker, the seeder and the coverer. With this set up the garden will be planted in no time.

Watering Your Garden

Now as every body knows that in order for something to grow it needs water.  A good healthy garden needs at least an hour of raining or  watering daily.

The easiest way to water is to get a chuck-chuck sprinkler and a water timer.

Reap What You Sow

Hardly has a week passed when the toddlers run to you telling you that some veggie is poking it's head out of the ground.

And before you know it you are sending your kids to the garden to get potatoes for dinner or lettuce for the salad or what ever you need to to add the finishing touch to your meal.

I hope you enjoy family gardening as much as we do. If you want to read more indepth about gardening and other self sustaining practices, check out this super informative blog:

TraditionalCatholicHomestead

-Bee Jay

We've just barely skimmed the surface of the topic of family gardening. There is a lot more to learn and enjoy.

Maybe you can help us out...