1. Start small. It’s OK to dream big and start small. Whether you grow in containers, in a school or community garden or in your front or back yard, make the best choices for you and your family’s growing space, interest and goals.
2. Learn about plants. If you are new to gardening, or it’s been a few years, review some basic plant science. At the very minimum, all plants need light (sun), water (approximately an inch a week from rain or supplied by the gardener) and nutrients (from a healthy soil). For your benefit, learn about the plants you would like to grow, including knowing potential challenges and possible solutions. Know your local resources like the Horticulture Hotline for Lucas County. Keep safety in mind. This is always important but especially with young children who are inclined to “explore” by putting things in their mouth.

• • Test the soil. If you are not able to have a soil test completed and have any concerns about lead in the soil, please consider growing in containers.
  • Don’t plant anything poisonous. Treat unknown plants with respect and teach your children to do the same.
  • Keep potentially dangerous tools and supplies out of the reach of little ones and use food safe practices in the garden, from the garden to the kitchen and in the kitchen.

3. Keep it simple! You don’t have to be an expert on gardening. Just like doing other new things with children, you get to learn together. If they have a question, talk it through and discover the answer. Use the resources listed above, children’s books and youth garden websites
4. Decide on plants. What plants to grow? Gardens are as diverse as the people who grow them! You can grow whatever will work in your space and your kitchen. When gardening with youth, consider growing some radishes, sunflowers, cherry tomatoes and mini-gourds. Why? Radishes grow fast. Even if you or your kiddos don’t love radishes, they are one of the first vegetables to harvest. Sunflowers are bright and tall (or chose a small variety for smaller spaces) and edible! Miniatures like cherry tomatoes (for an easy snack) and mini-gourds (for fall decoration and crafts) are fun because they grow plentiful and are just the right size for smaller hands.
5. Up-cycle household items for garden tools and supplies. Use kid-sized tools for planting and digging. Even spoons will work well when held in small hands. Before sending common household items to the recycling center, consider up-cycling them into garden tools. An empty milk jug can become a watering can or cut into a scoop for garden soil. Plastic knives can be used as plant labels and stuck in the ground.
6. Keep chore time short. Make a game of weeding, or limit to five minutes. Watering (or water play) is usually the fun part of gardening, especially in the hot summer!
7. Let them play. Follow their lead. If they’d rather play in the soil or look at bugs than pull weeds, it’s OK. They are still learning while playing.
8. Let them have growing space. Give children their own spot or container to garden and let them grow their own way. A preschooler may want to plant and re-plant, dig and explore similar to a sandbox. Include containers with pebbles, sticks, seeds, small tools, and other garden-related items to explore. Set up a Mud Kitchen with bowls, buckets and plastic kitchen tools. For elementary-aged children, take a 4-H garden project or use a small space to create a miniature garden such as fairy garden or dinosaur garden.  In large garden spaces, create a play space by planting a Sunflower House and Beanpole Tepee. It is helpful to mulch wide paths to define the walking and playing space from the garden growing area. Add benches or straw bales for seating.
9. Enjoy! Enjoy yourself and your fresh produce. It’s a great time to explore and learn together, reconnect with nature, observe daily changes and growth and prepare new recipes.
10. Share your garden story and share your extra produce. Use social media to post your garden pictures, sneak a zucchini on your neighbor’s porch on August 8^th and consider donating extra produce to a local emergency food pantry.

Links:

• Ask a Master Gardener Volunteer, Ohio State University Extension, https://extension.osu.edu/ask-an-expert/ask-master-gardener
• Choosing a smart site for your vegetable garden, Michigan State University, https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/choosing_a_smart_site_for_your_vegetable_garden
• Common Poisonous Plants and Plant Parts, Texas A&M Agrilife Extension, https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/earthkind/landscape/poisonous-plants-resources/common-poisonous-plants-and-plant-parts/
• Container Gardening, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chemung County http://chemung.cce.cornell.edu/resources/container-gardening
• Fresh, Safe Garden Produce, Ohio State University Extension https://livesmartohio.osu.edu/food/powers-barker-1osu-edu/fresh-safe-garden-produce/
• Gardening with children, tips from Denise Ellsworth
• Growing and Cooking Fruits and Vegetables at Childcare Centers, NC State Extension, https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/childcare-center-production-gardens-1-growing-and-cooking-fruits-and-vegetables-at-childcare-cente
• Horticulture Hotline https://lucas.osu.edu/program-areas/master-gardener-volunteers
• Kids Gardening, https://kidsgardening.org/
• Lead in Garden Soils, University of Maryland Extension https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/lead-garden-soils
• Make Your Garden Grow: From Plant to Plate, Ohio State University Extension, Lucas County https://lucas.osu.edu/makeyourgardengrow
• Miniature Gardens, Ohio State University Extension https://ohio4h.org/sites/ohio4h/files/imce/books_resources/Curriculum/365-12-Miniature-Gardens.pdf
• Mud Kitchen, Cornell Cooperative Extension Suffolk County http://ccesuffolk.org/suffolk-county-farm/nature-explore-classroom/mud-kitchen
• Plant a sunflower house, kids gardening, https://kidsgardening.org/garden-activities-plant-a-sunflower-house/
• Sneak a Zucchini on your neighbor’s porch, Ohio State University Extension, https://livesmartohio.osu.edu/food/powers-barker-1osu-edu/sneak-a-zucchini-on-your-neighbors-porch/
• Soil bag flower bed alternative to soil amending, University of Georgia, https://newswire.caes.uga.edu/story.html?storyid=3893&story=Soil-bag-flower-beds
• Soil Testing for Ohio Lawns, Landscapes, Fruit Crops, and Vegetable Gardens, Ohio State University Extension https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-1132
• The Facts of Square Foot Gardening, North Dakota State University
• https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/publications/lawns-gardens-trees/the-facts-of-square-foot-gardening
• Toledo GROWs https://www.toledogrows.org/
• Watering the vegetable garden, University of Minnesota Extension https://extension.umn.edu/water-wisely-start-your-own-backyard/watering-vegetable-garden
• Zucchini, Ohio State University Extension, https://lucas.osu.edu/zucchini