Gardening Related Books for Kids

I've mentioned the various resource boards I'm building for my readers over on Pinterest.  In case you've missed those posts-- each of the boards highlights some of my favorite books and other resources related to the topics on this blog. They are meant to help you, my readers, connect your children to nature and to other cultures. I hope you'll make good use of them and share them with your friends and colleagues.

Since it's gardening season, I thought it might be helpful to highlight some of my favorite gardening books from my "Gardening Books" board. (Note: Even if you don't want to create your own Pinterest boards, you can view the ones I've created. You do not need to actively use Pinterest to look at other user's pins).

These are just a sampling of my favorite gardening/ vegetable related picture books. There are more on my Pinterest board. 

What are your favorite gardening books? Please leave your suggestions in the comments so I can add them to my board.

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Gardening Without a Yard

From the Archives: Planting Time

This post originally ran on April 11, 2010. Since it's planting time again here in the Northeast, I thought I'd re-post it. (Note: I made some edits to reflect the date).

Several Aprils ago, when my kids and I gardened with their friends, the weather was an unseasonably warm 90 degrees. We started by choosing what to plant.

Not surprisingly, the kids wanted to plant pumpkins, so I explained that we have to wait until it's consistently warmer, even during the evenings. For all of my friends in the northeast who may think summer is here because of the amazing weather we've been having...don't be fooled into planting your whole garden. There's still a risk of frost. For now, you can plant things like pea pods, spinach, kale, swiss chard and other greens. Wait until around Memorial Day for those heat loving plants like tomatoes, basil, squash, peppers, eggplant, and watermelons.

In preparation for the boy's arrival, I used a pitch fork to turn over the soil in the section we would plant. Then, I had the kids help me rake the area smooth and remove any visible rocks.

Next, I showed them a little trick for planting pea pod seeds. We laid the seeds out in a zig zag pattern on top of the soil, close to the wire that will support the plants when they grow. By doing this, we could see where the seeds were and move them around as needed. Once the seeds were set, we poked them into the soil using our fingers. By going as far in as their second knuckles, the seeds are at just the right depth.

We planted the pea pods in the middle of our three foot wide raised beds, near the wire frame. On the north side of the supports, we planted spinach and on the south side of the supports, we planted mesclun mix. Spinach and mesclun seeds are much smaller and harder for little hands to control. If you plant with young children, it's better to stick with large seeds like peas (and later watermelons, pumpkins, sunflowers, and beans) that they'll be able to handle. I know our spinach and mesclun seeds didn't all end up in rows along the outer edge, but I don't mind a little chaos in my garden. It's more natural that way, anyway.

Once the seeds were planted, we watered them gently.

And, we got a little silly! Why not... this is supposed to be fun, right?

All photos by Alison Noyce

Have you started gardening with your kids, yet? If not, think of how you might start a small project this weekend. If you live in the city or have a small yard, check out this post on gardening without a yard for suggestions. 

If you haven't done so already, check out my Pinterest Boards. They're loaded with resources for you.  I'm building a new board of Gardening Books for Kids and adults.

Related Posts:

Gardening Without a Yard

Spring Gardening

Spring Gardening

We had summer-like weather here in Southeastern Massachusetts a few weeks ago. In Mid-March, we had a week of daytime temperatures in the seventies and several close to eighty degrees Fahrenheit. Everyone had the springtime bug. Many people around here dug out their shorts, tank tops and flip flops.

My kids and I also got the bug- the gardening bug, that is. We cleaned out the vegetable beds, turned the soil, and removed the rocks that seem to pop up every year. We knew it was early, and maybe even a bit risky, but we decided to plant pea pods. We figured there was as slight risk of a hard frost that would kill them but we didn't care. We'd just replant, if needed.

Here's a little photographic essay to show the process and results:

18 March. We placed the seeds in a zig zag pattern below the support wires.

We poked them in up to our second knuckles- the perfect depth.

31 March. The first little sprouts appeared.

5 April. Nearly all of the seeds have sprouted.

5 April. More leaves appear on each sprout.

Here in the northeast, now is the perfect time to plant cold weather crops like pea pods, arugula, and kale. These hardy vegetables can handle a light frost. A hard frost could kill your plants, but that seems unlikely at this point since we barely had a hard frost all winter.

Have you started planting outside, yet? What are you growing?

For more vegetable gardening tips, check out these posts:

Confessions of a Passive Gardener

Planting Time (Includes more details about planting pea pods)

Gardening Without a Yard (includes suggested books)

Early Growth in the Garden (includes a recipe)

Early Growth in the Garden

On April 7th we planted seeds in our garden. I blogged about it here.

After 8 days, we already had sprouts:Pea Pod, 8 days

Mesclun mix, 8 days.

Three weeks after planting, the plants can now be identified by their appearance. Those pea greens are almost ready for eating! If you haven't tried pea greens before, watch for them in your local farmer's market. They're popular early in the season when other crops aren't ready yet. I like to toss some in my salad. They're also good topped with grilled salmon. We probably won't pick ours as pea greens (unless the plants need thinning) because we REALLY love pea pods. If we pick the greens, there won't be any pods.

Pea pods, 3 weeks


Mesclun mix, 3 weeks.

Last year I bought a 6 pack of pak choi from our local garden center for the first time. I've always loved pac choi but hadn't grown it before then. Some of it went to seed and now we have a bunch of volunteer plants. I plan to let them grow a bit more and then harvest some tiny ones to eat and let the others fully mature. (They're much too crowded right now).
If you've never tried pac choi, I highy recommend it. It's a vegetable that's popular in Asian cooking. My favorite way to eat it is in stir fry. The key is to not overcook it- just a few minutes in a hot wok or saute pan is enough. Pac choi is readily available in most farmer's markets and grocery stores. In the grocery store, look in the produce section near the cabbages. They look kind of like small romaine heads with smoother, more rounded leaves that are less densely packed than romaine leaves.

For a side dish, try this:

1. Cut off the very bottom and wash the leaves in plenty of cold water- soil can get trapped in the base of the plant.
   If they're large, you can cut them crosswise into large pieces an inch or more wide. I frequently leave them whole.
2. Heat a wok or saute pan over medium to high heat. Add a bit of olive oil or canola oil (Maybe a tablespoon). When the oil shimmers, add the pak choi.
3. Saute it quickly over high heat until the leaves become bright green (This happens quickly, so watch closely). If the pan seems too dry, add a couple of tablespoons of water.
4. Drizzle the leaves with oyster sauce and serve. (Find Oyster Sauce in the international or Asian food aisle in your grocery store near the soy sauces and teriyaki sauces. If it's not available there, you may need to go to an Asian market. For my local readers, we go to Kam Man in Quincy, MA.

For an even healthier option, you can steam the pac choi for a few minutes and then drizzle it with oyster sauce.

Gardening Without a Yard

Yesterday, I blogged about our first planting session of this year's growing season. Gardening with children is a wonderful way to get them (and you) outside. Along the way, they'll learn about life cycles of plants, connections between plants and animals (such as the insects that pollinate the plants), and the food chain. For all of you homeschoolers and classroom teachers who need to meet state standards, there are many science standards to be learned through gardening. So put away those worksheets and start digging! Plus, another great benefit is that kids who grow their own food tend to want to eat it. What a great way to get your children or students to eat more vegetables.

To get started, look around your apartment building or school building and think creatively about possible gardening space. Be certain to ask permission from your landlord/Principal before proceeding.

Some examples:

1. I have one sister who lives in an apartment in Cambridge, MA. She has a small section of yard that was filled with random debris when she and her husband moved in. They cleaned the area out, brought in some compost, and started planting.


2. My other sister lives in San Francisco, CA. Along the side of the entry to her apartment, there's a narrow patch of land (maybe 3 feet wide) that was filled with weeds and other scrubby plants. After securing permission from her building management company, she cleared the weeds and planted a vegetable garden.


3. When I lived in an apartment in Newport, RI, I had no land available at all. But, I had access to a flat rooftop, so I planted herbs and lettuces in pots on the roof. I also had window boxes outside my windows. At the time, I filled them with flowers. Now, I'd mix lettuce and herbs in with the flowers instead.


4. Along the lines of my pots on the roof- perhaps you could plant in large pots or planters somewhere outside your building.


5. As a grade four teacher, I worked alongside my students to plant a small garden right outside our classroom windows. We planted all early vegetables such as those mentioned in my last post. Then, we'd enjoy a salad together before school let out for the summer (sometimes, when school got out very early in June, we'd fill out the salad by purchasing some extra greens. We always had enough radishes and small carrots by then).


6. Find someone like me who is willing to share their yard, rooftop, or community plot (see below) with you. Mikias and Jemberu don't have a garden at home but I'm happy to include them in my garden.

Ok, let's say, none of these options are viable for you. Now what?

1. If you're really motivated, you might look for a vacant lot in your neighborhood and organize a community garden. But that requires LOTS of work to even get started. (Be sure to research the legal and health steps you 'll need to take before venturing into this. Oftentimes, city soil is contaminated, and topsoil needs to be removed before growing food, so be careful. On the other hand, many cities can provide excellent composted soil from city compost facilities once the contaminated soil is removed).


2. Look for public garden plots that you can rent for a modest fee. You plant and work your plot and take home the food you grow. To find one, try googling "garden plots" plus the name of your city and state.

If you've read this far, but none of the above ideas appeal or can work for you and you still want to try your hand at gardening, try growing herbs and lettuces in your apartment or classroom. All you'll need is a sunny south-facing window and some pots filled with potting soil. These are available at your local garden center, which is also a great place to get advice about the plants, pots and soil that are best for your needs. Some of my favorite herbs to grow inside are basil, thyme, and rosemary.

For more information about vegetable gardening or gardening with children, try these resources:

1. The Vegetable Gardener's Bible by Edward C. Smith. This is my go-to book, even after all these years. It's great for the novice and experienced gardener alike. Smith recommends planting in raised beds. I use this system now, but it is not necessary to have a garden. Don't wait until you have the perfect raised beds to get started.
   
2. Roots, Shoots, Buckets, and Boots: Gardening Together with Children by Sharon Lovejoy. Directions are included for planting theme gardens such as a pizza patch (grow the fixin's to make your own pizza) a sunflower house, and container gardening.


3. Wildlife Gardening: How to Bring Birds and Bugs to Your Backyard by Martin Cox. This new DK book has wonderful photographs, background science information, and three different kinds of suggested activities: "Grow it," "Make it," and "Watch it." Directions included range from planting a tree ("Grow it") to making frog and toad homes or moth catchers ("Make it").

A few great read-alouds for younger children:

1. Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert (Also available in Spanish)


2. Eating the Alphabet: Fruits and Vegetables from A-Z by Lois Ehlert (Also in Spanish)


3. Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert (Available in Spanish)


4. How Groundhog's Garden Grew by Lynne Cherry


5. A Seed is Sleepy by Diana Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long


6. The Reason for a Flower by Ruth Heller. Rhymes and bold, colorful illustrations explain pollination in flowers. Be careful of one innacuracy in the book- scientists no longer classify fungi (mushroms) as plants as is indicated at the end of the book (They're now in their own category so that there are plants, animals, fungi, and two others called monera and protista). As a teacher I always made this a point of discussion in my class and pulled more recent books and resources to share more current information.

Planting Time

During my son's birthday party, his friend, "J" came up to me in the kitchen and said, "Michelle, can I have some seeds?" I was confused by his question. Did he want sunflower seeds to eat? (My kids will request sunflower seeds in this way but I didn't think "J" would).

Then I noticed the trowel in his hand. I said, "Oh, do you want to plant some seeds?"

"Yeah!"

I explained that I couldn't get the seeds out right then because I was in the middle of preparing food for the party. I asked if he'd like to come back on another day and do some planting. He eagerly responded "yes," and I promised to make the arrangements.

Last Wednesday, I followed through on my promise. The weather was amazing- sunny and 90 degrees. We started by choosing what to plant.

Not surprisingly, the kids wanted to plant pumpkins, so I explained that we have to wait until it's consistently warmer, even during the evenings. For all of my friends in the northeast who may think summer is here because of the amazing weather we've been having...don't be fooled into planting your whole garden. There's still a risk of frost. For now, you can plant things like pea pods, spinach, kale, swiss chard and other greens. Wait until around Memorial Day for those heat loving plants like tomatoes, basil, squash, peppers, eggplant, and watermelons.

In preparation for the boy's arrival, I had used a pitch fork to turn over the soil in the section we would plant. Then, I had the kids help me rake the area smooth and remove any visible rocks.

Next, I showed them a little trick for planting pea pod seeds. We laid the seeds out in a zig zag pattern on top of the soil, close to the wire that will support the plants when they grow. By doing this, we could see where the seeds were and move them around as needed. Once the seeds were set, we poked them into the soil using our fingers. By going as far in as their second knuckles, the seeds are at just the right depth.

We planted the pea pods in the middle of our three foot wide raised beds, near the wire frame. On the north side of the supports, we planted spinach and on the south side of the supports, we planted mesclun mix. Spinach and mesclun seeds are much smaller and harder for little hands to control. If you plant with young children, it's better to stick with large seeds like peas (and later watermelons, pumpkins, sunflowers, and beans) that they'll be able to handle. I know our spinach and mesclun seeds didn't all end up in rows along the outer edge, but I don't mind a little chaos in my garden. It's more natural that way, anyway.

Once the seeds were all planted, we watered them gently.

And, we got a little silly! Why not... this is supposed to be fun, right?

Those of you who live in the city or don't have yards may wonder how you can have a garden. Come back tomorrow for my suggestions.