Tag Archives: gardening with children

Jun16

Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest-Edible Garden!

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Although I did leave my garden for 6 days, I was able to visit another edible garden growing in the beautiful Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest. It was beautiful. The deliberate planning and the creative ideas made for an inspiring visit.

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There were a series of unique planters that caught my eye.

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They were made of straw by their artist in residence, Mei Ling Hom. They were arranged in a RhizoLink. This line of planters was arranged to represent the dits and dashes of Morse code. For more images, click here and here.

Maybe I’ll try to make my own someday. 🙂

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Here is their greenhouse, with the RhizoLink along the path. Don’t the planters add a nice bit of structural interest?

I love their greenhouse. If I had one that big, I wouldn’t need a regular house.

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I could just put a little cot in the center aisle for sleeping at night.

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The raised beds are at varying heights to accommodate children, the elderly, and those in wheelchairs. Raised beds also provide more control over the growing medium. Some of the beds were made of wood, others of rock. The plants looked quite healthy and I loved looking at all the varieties.

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I’m sure this Faerie Garden is a favorite of the children and young at heart. I think it is a wonderful way to get children interested in growing.

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This compost bin is similar to my compost bins, but is made of logs rather than pallets. The thermometer helps them monitor the temperature.

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I thought that this was a neat way to provide shade, privacy, and color to a front entrance. You could plant a flowering vine(or pole beans!) to climb the string, and some sweet potato vines to spill over the sides. So much inspiration here.

DSCN4654This little garden sign seems to sum up the purpose and goals of Bernheim’s Edible Garden.

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If you ever visit Kentucky, a stop at the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest will be well worth your time. You can also visit their garden timeline. I hope that you were inspired!

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Apr4

April To-Do List

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Have you ever planted pole beans around a teepee? It is a neat gardening project for kids and a fun way to add structural interest to a garden. That is just one of my projects for this month.

April is a wonderful time to plant vegetables and herbs in Florida. I have completed most of the items from last month’s to-do list, and am working on some new projects in my backyard garden.

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My large garden addition has been planted with tomatoes, bell peppers, green beans, 3 types of squash, eggplant, onions, basil, and dill. The beans are starting to grow, can you see the two rows? They don’t look like much now, but a month will make a huge difference.

Just 2 months ago, this was part of our backyard. Now, it is tilled and planted with seeds and baby tomato transplants. I can’t wait to see it in another 2 months! If all goes well, I will be eating fresh green beans! 😀

I can’t wait to see the teepee covered in pole beans! This is a great project for gardening with kids. I planted Rattlesnake beans and purple-podded pole beans. The purple ones are a beautiful royal purple color and are fun to show kids.

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My garden by the shed is very pretty now, as the broccoli, collards, and radishes are flowering. I plan to let these crops be as the flowers are attracting pollinators and I am still harvesting plenty of kale and collards.

My to-do list for the month:

1. Finish planting the square bed. Pole beans around the teepee, cantaloupe and watermelon outside of the teepee, and flowers and herbs around the perimeter. (Mostly done now, started the melons in pots for transplant later. Sunflowers and zinnias at entrance of teepee. Marigolds, basil, Swiss chard, and dill transplants around perimeter.)

I hope it turns out as neat as I am imagining! 🙂

2. Sow marigolds along the garden path. (Done! I love marigolds!)

3.Set up trellis for cucumbers on the fence. (Not done yet, I’m in no rush as they are just starting to grow their true leaves.)

4. Hang baskets of ferns and flowers on front and back porches. (Done, and I love how my porch looks now!)

5. Mulch around bush green beans when they are a bit taller. (Check! Either you mulch or you weed. I mulch 🙂 )

6. Start ground cherry seeds. I only have 10 seeds, and I really want to try some of these this year.

7. Stake the tomatoes and peppers.

That’s what I would like to get done this month. How about you? Are you going to plant anything this spring? Maybe you could try to plant a bean teepee with your children. Gardening with children is a great way to get them outside and interested in their vegetables.