It is a good thing to learn together as a family.
It teaches togetherness and encourages family unity.
Organic gardening can be a good teacher.
Start with a plan.
After the soil is prepared and plants set out, garden maintenance becomes important.
Make a chart of garden responsibilities.
You can include watering, weeding, bug control and feeding for starters.
After your garden begins to produce, responsibilities can include harvesting carefully and food preparation.
Today, we will talk about garden maintenance.
It is important to keep the soil loose around the plants.
Lightly loosen the soil on the top of the ground, being careful not to go too deep and disturb the roots.
This needs to be done weekly.
Since chemical fertilizers are not used, it is important to feed lightly, but frequently.
One of the best ways to encourage plant growth and production is to foliar feed.
Check with your local organic garden shop and they can show you what is best for your specific area.
It does not have to be expensive.
Liquid seaweed, liquid or dry molasses and fish spray are all good to use.
To foliage feed, mix the liquid fertilizer in accordance with package instructions and apply with a sprayer.
A pump sprayer is much better to use than a hose-end sprayer.
The mixture is much more consistent.
Apply every one to two weeks during the growing season.
Older children can easily help with this task and they will consider it fun.
Younger children can help with supervision.
You will need to decide who is mature enough to do this.
It varies from person to person.
As overall maintenance, apply a granular fertilizer about every three months for the first three years and then you can reduce applications as your soil builds up with healthy ingredients.
When your garden begins to product results, make it a family affair to harvest and prepare the meals.
Even a two year old can help pick lettuce and tomatoes, with adult supervision.
Watch out for bees and creatures that might sting, but this should not be a big problem.
Shelling peas? That can really be family fun and not a chore.
We sit down in front of a television program or just sit around and talk while we do the pea shelling.
The younger ones really enjoy getting to help just like everyone else.
I remember sitting around with my mother and grandmother and listening to them for hours while we shelled away.
Families also tend to waste less of the food they have helped to grow.
Personally, if it is homegrown and fresh from the garden, nothing else tastes better and it is certainly not going to be tossed into the trash.
Enjoy and eat on.