Gardening with kids

Mud? Check. Sunshine? Check. Water? Check. Bugs? Check. What child doesn't like to play in the dirt, smell flowers and eat tomatoes right off the vine? It's as if gardening was invented for kids. Unfortunately, the age of wonder passes quickly, and many older children would rather play video games than pull weeds. If you'd like to keep your kids interested in the great outdoors and nurture a lifelong affection for the garden, take steps while they're little to instill good garden values.

Using a yardstick to measure a 3-foot length makes a good visual impression on kids, plus that's an ideal size garden for little ones to handle. If you don't have that much space, provide a container. Name the area for your child - say, "Timmy's garden" - and name the plants after him, too. He'll feel protective over them and take pride in their growth.

Take children to the nursery to pick out plants or seeds. While many kids are known to favor sunflowers, lettuces, radishes, cherry tomatoes, beans and nasturtiums, let each child decide what to grow in her own plot. Annuals and perennials should be limited only by the site's conditions (sunny? poor drainage?) and their non-toxicity; small children are notorious for putting plant parts in their mouths. Leaves and stems of tomato, potato and rhubarb, for instance, are toxic, so you'll need to monitor small children closely around them. (For a list of the most common poisonous plants, visit www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/php/plants.php?action=display&ispecies=human). Otherwise, let them have complete control. Vegetables should be ones they like to eat. There is no match for the pride on a youngster's face when the family is served a dish made from ingredients she has grown herself. Growing vegetables also can be key to instilling a lifetime of healthy food choices.

While you're at the nursery, pick up some child-sized tools. Scaled-down rakes, hoes, spades and gloves are widely available. Ordinary kitchen spoons can be used for digging, too.

Teach kids that gardens, like people, need to eat and drink. Observe the sun exposure together and, if possible, make sure the plot is located where others can see and admire it. Offer plenty of advice, but don't insist on perfection. Let him get dirty, but teach him not to walk on plants. Let him learn patience by allowing him to pick a couple of unripe tomatoes, if he's adamant about doing so. He'll quickly learn that an early harvest not only wastes tomatoes - but they don't taste all that good, either. Ditto for pulling up immature carrots or radishes.

Hang a calendar or chart in children's bedrooms or on the refrigerator to schedule watering and weeding chores. Let them take responsibility for checking it and alerting you when tasks need to be done. Crossing off completed chores also provides a feeling of accomplishment.

Working in the garden not only culminates in fruits, vegetables and flowers, it also instills values about patience, dedication to caring for something for an extended period of time, and reaping the rewards of hard work. Plus, it creates special one-on-one time for them and for you.

If your children's first gardening experiences are positive, odds are good they'll develop an appreciation for plants that will last a lifetime.