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Plant An Organic Vegetable Garden
with
Your Kids
Want your kids to LOVE eating their
vegetables? Get them involved in growing their very own organic
vegetables and they might just take great pride in preparing and
eating what they grow.
Here are some tips for helping you start
you own family organic vegetable garden.
Prepare your humus for the soil.
Ideally, you should start composting well ahead of time so you can
simply recycle your yard waste and not have to buy store fertilizers.
Even though you can purchase organic fertilizers, making your own is
better...and gives your kids and even great appreciation for the
goodness our earth can give.
To make a compost pile: just
throw your fallen leaves, grass clippings, and other plant matter into
a bin or pile and stir periodically. This will eventually decompose
into quality humus to fertilize your soil.
In addition to your compost humus, there are other natural
ingredients you can add to build nutrients in your garden soil. Manure
is a great natural fertilizer, but it’s best found locally rather than
bought from a store.
You may also have to add natural
ingredients to the soil if the pH balance is off. If the pH of your
soil is below 6, add crushed egg, clam, or oyster shells. If your pH
is above 7.5, lower it by mulching with wood chips or sawdust. These
treatments, along with other organic additives, can take a while to
work. You want to prepare the soil up to 6 weeks before planting to
make sure the conditions are optimal.
Before you can plant, you need to pick the right vegetables.
You should buy organically grown seedlings. If you can’t find any,
just sprout your own seeds. This way, you can be sure there are no
chemicals going into your vegetables at any stage of growth. You also
want to be sure that the variety you buy isn’t genetically altered in
any way. While these plants might grow better looking fruits and
vegetables, they produce less flavorful and less healthy fruits and
veggies.
Once your garden is planted, you can naturally repel pests and
fertilize the soil by companion planting. This means you plant more
than one crop in the same area. That way, all the kids have input on
what you grow in your garden.
If you have an insect problem, you can
find plants to repel specific pests. If you have larger animals eating
your plants, you can choose vine vegetables that furry friends prefer
not to cross over. If you choose complementary plants, this can also
be used to restore nutrients to the soil. You want to be sure to
rotate out different vegetables every year to further build soils.
It may be work to keep it organic, but the rewards of safe and
great-tasting produce...not to mention the environmental lessons for
your childre...are GREAT!
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