Make vegetable gardening a family activity
A vegetable garden is a living laboratory and outdoor classroom for children of all ages. Involving children in starting and maintaining a vegetable garden stimulates their curiosity of the natural world and rewards their hard work with delicious crops.
If tilling and amending soil and planting rows of seeds and crops sounds daunting for you and your family, try the soil bag method of vegetable gardening. This easy and economical way to grow crops bypasses the labor of digging and preparing a garden bed.
The soil bag method requires bags of soil, 1.5 to 2 cubic feet in size; examples include topsoil, tree and shrub planting mix, garden soil, and potting soil. While there is no evidence to support the use of one soil type, select the soil best suited for the vegetables, flowers, and herbs that you are growing.
Once you obtain the bags, prepare the garden “bed." Position the bags of soil lengthwise and horizontal to the ground in a location that preferably receives eight hours of sunlight daily. Using a utility knife, cut a large rectangular hole in the top of the bag, leaving a 2-inch border around the edges. This border of plastic creates a framed rim.
Repeat this process for the number of bags you have chosen for your garden. Use a screwdriver to poke drainage holes through the soil and bottom of the bag, making contact with the ground. Lastly, use a garden trowel to fluff up the soil to prepare the garden “bed” for planting.
Once the bags are set and prepared, you are ready to select plants and seeds for your garden beds. Involve children in selecting seeds and plants. Your child’s food preferences can guide plant and seed choices. Older children can assist in calculating space requirements, trellising, and interpreting growing requirements for each chosen variety.
If you are opting for plants, choose vegetable plants specific for container planting because they have a smaller root system and a compact growth habit that is ideal for this method of gardening.
To plant seeds, read the information provided on the seed packet and follow the requirements for planting depth, moisture, and fertilizer. Young and beginning gardeners may be interested in planting bush or pole bean seeds. Bean seeds are large enough for small fingers to grasp and place into the soil and promote hand-eye coordination.
The rather rapid germination period for beans (approximately two weeks) retains children's interest in tending the garden. An excellent choice is the heirloom variety “Purple Queen,” which proceeds long purple beans that will turn green after cooking; this plant is labeled as container friendly. In addition to beans, other excellent plant and seed selections include cherry tomatoes, lettuce, radishes, herbs, and bush cucumbers.
An exciting and colorful planting option is a combination of “Bright Lights Blend” Swiss Chard, an All-America Selections Winner, a container friendly variety which has multicolored stalks, and “Double Dwarf Jewel” Nasturtium a compact heirloom flower. These flowers are multicolored and edible!
Nasturtiums can be added to salads for visual interest and a peppery taste. For this planting combination, plant three Swiss chard plants in the center of the garden bag, six inches apart. Plant the Nasturtium seeds around the inside of the perimeter of the bag approximately 10 inches apart and three inches from the edge of the garden frame.
Obtain or create colorful markers to identify what you have planted. With adult oversight, children can become the caretakers of the gardens. Collaborate on a schedule for watering, weeding, and harvesting the garden to keep their interest throughout the summer.
Opportunities abound for lessons in germination, leaf and flower anatomy, and identification of pollinators and other garden visitors. Older children can be encouraged to keep an electronic or paper journal to measure garden growth and productivity. Take photos regularly to document progress.
Vegetable gardening using soil bags is an economical and rewarding way to introduce children to the practice of gardening and harvesting.
Penn State Extension offers online resources about vegetable gardening https://extension.psu.edu/vegetable-planting-and-transplanting-guide.
For more information about vegetable gardening, contact the Master Gardeners of Butler County Garden Hotline at 724-287-4761, ext. 7, or email the Master Gardeners at butlermg@psu.edu.
Jacqueline Bartley is a Penn State Extension Master Gardener of Butler County.
This finished soil bag garden includes three cherry tomato plants flanked by three Swiss chard plants.
