Turn it into a Party!

Many of the chores that must be done to keep a community garden running can be turned into social occasions!  If the weather cooperates with your event everyone can have a really great time while getting necessary work done.  Make sure to plan for all ages and if possible have activities that the children can participate in.  Although the kids can help with planting and weeding it is likely that their attention will not hold for very long.  By having something for the kids to do while the grownups work and ensuring that the area is safe the adults can get the work done and enjoy each others company.

This weekend a great group of gardeners got together to plant seeds for our garden this summer.  We planted squash, cucumbers, melons,zinnias, fennel, lettuce, herbs, and wax beans in containers.  Working together assembly line style we were able to get hundreds of plants started in just a few hours.  We punched drainage holes in recycled containers, labeled them with a wax pencil, filled them with potting soil, added seeds, and moved them to the green house for watering.  At the end of the event various families take home potted seeds to care for until our planting day later in May.  These seeds will be very young transplants but give us a fantastic start.  With our new black plastic mulch this step is necessary and may even give us a jump start on the season!

As we worked the gardeners had an opportunity to learn more about each other.  Some discovered that they had worked for the same employers, had moved from the same parts of the country, had friends in common, or had similar interests.  We had several generations present with grandchildren  grandparents, and parents all working together on a project that would benefit everyone!  The kids worked with us for a while and then ran off to play in the sprinklers.  My father hosted and he pulled out the grand kids toys for everyone to play with in the yard.  Nothing encourages parents that an activity is worth while than their kids having so much fun that they don't want to leave.

Remember to throw a little fun into all your gatherings and your community gardening group will quickly become a fantastic group with connections outside the garden as well!

The Mystery of a Seed

Children love growing things.  They love to explore the outdoors and all the wonders the natural world possesses.  The prospect of bringing a child into your well ordered garden might dismay you.  However, I would encourage you to take the risk.  There are few things that will make a greater lasting impression on a child than meaningful experiences with the natural processes involved in nurturing growing things.  They will gain a respect for life, a curiosity about the world around them, and encouragement in the area of science.  The garden is a wonderful playground that has a million lessons to teach.  We will begin our exploration with the discovery of the mystery of the seed.

We will begin with a bean seed.  Any type will do.  For a first exploration simply sprouting a bean seed on a wet paper towel may be enough.  However, if you have an especially interested child I would like to suggest taking this exploration a step further.  As I am writing this it is winter.  The ground is frozen and nothing seems to be growing in our yard.  My daugter sees me pouring over seed catalogs with interest and wonders aloud why we can not plant anything now.  I tell her it is too cold.  Then we decide to investigate the effect of temperature on seeds.

The seed racks are once again in the stores and it is a simple thing to pick out a pack of green bean seeds.  We talk about what a seed needs to germinate, water, warmth, and in some cases sunlight.  I ask her why we wait until spring to plant our garden.  She suggests that the seeds can not grow through the snow.  I ask her why the snow would stop a seed from growing.  She says its too cold.  Now we have something to investigate!

1. Gather your supplies:
       You will need at least 3 zip lock baggies.  A packet of bean seeds.  Several paper napkins or towels.

2. Discuss what places around your house are different temperatures.

    Possible locations are: the refrigerator, the pantry, the laundry room, the garage, the shed, under a pot in the garden, a drawer in their bedroom, etc.  Pick three that your child feels are very different temperatures. If it is winter I would encourage a child to consider at least one spot indoors!

3. Assemble your baggies.  Wet the paper towel and fold it with 3 or 4 bean seeds inside.  Place the wet paper towel with its seeds inside the baggie and seal it.

4. If you have a thermometer take an initial temp reading at each location and place your baggie in a dark spot.  Make sure to record where each baggie is located. the temperature, and the date.

5. Make a prediction about which seed will germinate first.  Be sure to record your predictions. You may want to take a moment and create a chart for your observations and a graph to record your results.

6. Take a moment to record the temperatures and open the baggies to observe your seeds each day.

7. After about a week you should see some growth from at least one of your baggies.  After about 3 weeks you will be able to tell what temperatures where best for germination.  Take a moment to discuss what your child learned.  Do not be surprised if your child wants to plant their germinated seeds in a pot in the house.  Who knows you might even have your bean plants flower!

Possible expansions: 

• Grow a seed on a paper towel inside a cd case.  If you remove one edge you can water your seed and observe the growth of the roots!
• Repeat the experiment with three different types of seeds. Consider trying an early spring veggie like spinach, a warm weather veggie like a tomato seed, seed that can take very cold temps like a pea seed, and a sunflower seed.
• Try planting seeds at different depths in your garden.  Use the seed packet recommendations for at least one group and then see how much depth effects germination rates.