Today our own little sprouts planted seeds in Jiffy Greenhouses. The boys started tomatoes, sweet, bell and hot peppers, basil, lavendar, watermelons and honey dew melons. The plants will sprout to about five inches, and then we'll transplant them into the yard.
The garden has been a singular obession. The kids couldn't be more excited. At sunrise every morning, they put their boots on an start aimlessly digging dirt. After school, they plot the location of seeds, and Aidan even drafted a diagram a la Martha Stewart with a key for plant positioning.
Aidan expressed enthusiasm about growing vegetables, but also some reluctance about eating everything we grow. Peppers, in particular, seem to pose the greatest concern. I hope that once he sees the transformation into product, he'll be more willing to try and to eat. Patrick is ready to reap his harvest in true instant-gratification mode. He started to undig the seeds as soon as we planted to see "if anything had started to grow." What a kid.
Kids and gardens are such a natural mix. Check out this film I worked on at Heifer. It's called "Seeds, Hope and Concrete," about urban agriculture and youth. The stars of the film are really inspirational.
Menu
Breakfast: Multigrain pancakes, pecans, apples, OJ with fish oil and coffee.
Lunch: Leftover grilled chicken, pita, hummus, carrots, salad, craisins and milk.
Dinner: Grilled turkey burgers on ciabatta rolls, grilled corn on the cob in foil with butter, salt, chili powder and garlic, steamed green beans and milk.
Nugget o' the Day: "Seeds are beautiful, Daddy." - Aidan.
2 comments:
I hated vegetables from infancy. Truly. But, I have such a distinct memory of trying a home grown tomato when I was 7. It didn't taste like cardboard and I fell in love.
But, even into my adult life, my vegetable consumption was pretty limited until I started gardening. The first colored sweet pepper I ate was my own and again I fell in love.
There is something about growing it yourself that challenges you to at least try it.
May I suggest the book Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew before you begin transplanting your seedlings? It's a great method for the novice gardener. And very easy, and low maintenance.
And don't forget to compost!
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