One thing you should know about me: I live for garden season. Nothing beats eating freshly picked tomatoes off the vine or carrots with a little dirt on them — not to mention the excitement of growing a new vegetable! Every year brings surprises in the garden and I love it. To us, creating a more sustainable home means becoming more self-sufficient and eating seasonally. What’s more seasonal than eating from your own garden? Plus, it reduces your carbon footprint — the only travel our veggies take is the 15-step walk to the sink to be washed!
Growing our own food teaches us to appreciate food. We need patience, time and nurture — sort of like parenting. I believe it’s important for our children to learn the same beautiful lessons in the garden.
We had our son almost 3 years ago and I couldn’t wait to share garden experiences with him. Watching him sow seeds, pull out his own carrots or get excited when a seed has sprouted gives me all the good feelings. There’s honestly nothing like it! I want to inspire others to get their children into gardening, too, so click here to read 5 reasons to get our children into gardening.
A bonus reason to get our kids gardening is to teach hard skills on top of all of these soft skills. Gardening provides a fantastic environment for children to count seeds, learn colours, and participate in hands-on, exploratory learning.
For parents, it can be especially meaningful to garden with our children. The formative experiences they have and the lessons they are taught in the garden will stay with them as they grow. And as you share these experiences together, you will create lasting memories.
Follow Tasha and her family's garden journey on Instagram here!