Parents, start your gardens

Everywhere I look, there are new programs to get kids interested in gardening.

The real challenge isn't getting kids to start gardening; it's getting their parents educated so they can teach by example. Children learn through osmosis in these formative years, and the activities of parents are the most profound of all influences. Parents can't tell their kids to start gardening if they don't do it themselves.

For all families striving to raise their children with respect for the planet, food gardening is the most important thing you can do. The many lessons inherent in growing a few tomatoes are so profound that nothing you can say will influence a child nearly as much. So, parents, start your gardens. Find a mentor to help you begin. Maybe it's a relative or a neighbor down the street. Log on to YouTube, and check out the videos on simple things like turning soil or planting seeds. Take a class if you can. Read a book.

The best way to learn is by doing, and your kids will be watching you every step of the way. When you start and make mistakes, they'll learn that failing is OK and that gardening is all about second chances. Here are the most basic steps.

• Find a place in the sun. Even if it's only 5 by 5 feet, a tiny patch of earth can hold one tomato plant and one squash at maturity, each capable of significant harvest. Sun is essential to growth, with critical direct exposure from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• Dig up the soil. Use a shovel or spading fork to turn the soil so that the material deeper down ends up on top. Turn every inch, and then chop the clods up into smaller, manageable pieces.

• Add manure or compost. For a 5-by-5 spot, use two to three bags of composted steer manure, which is supercheap at the home-improvement store. Spread it evenly over the surface, and then turn the area again to work in the manure. Rake it into a smooth, level surface.

• Plant seedlings. The most treasured crops are tomatoes because homegrown tastes so much better than store-bought. Place tomato plants in a deep hole so they root all along the stem. Stick a few squash seeds in the ground wherever there is open space. Then sow a quick crop of radishes over the rest of the ground. Remember, they don't need to be in a row.

• Water well. Use an ordinary diffuser nozzle on the end of the hose to flood the new seedlings and saturate the areas where seeds are planted. Do this each day it doesn't rain, either in the morning or after work.

As you check the plants each day, kids will learn to do the same, but don't push them. They'll follow the lead of parental interest. Don't despair if they become distracted during the intermediate phase of vegetative growth. They'll be back when tomatoes or squash form and picking time is nigh.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step, and that's one taken by the parents, not the kids. They'll hop on the parental wagon as it rolls, and some day, through your example, they'll know enough to hitch up their own.

Maureen Gilmer is a horticulturist. Her blog, the MoZone, offers ideas for cash-strapped families. Read the blog at www.MoPlants.com/blog.