inspired gardening | slowing down and learning together
it wasn’t until we had our first little one and bought our first home that we really started to think about gardening. in a way, it was almost like a natural extension of parenting and nurturing; an organic transition into that slower way of life that had always been in the back of our minds, but was now crying out to be cultivated.
a small disclaimer, it wasn’t (and still isn’t) all roses when it comes to learning how to tend a garden, which is further complicated by little hands that require more patience and that, most times, end up doubling the work. it was work that was hard enough to almost keep us from trying again when it didn’t go right the first time; when we only had a harvest of one row of string beans and some lucky tomatoes. i had to keep reminding myself, that the images that are displayed on social media of perfect gardens, with parents who are forever knowledgeable about all facets of tending said gardens, are an exception – not the norm, and do not need to be what we strive for in our slow, little homes.
the way i see it, you can be a gardener with any type of garden. with a small garden. with a new garden. with a barely hanging on garden. with some patio tomatoes or a patch of garlic. you be a gardener in a flowing dress and sunhat, if that speaks to you, or you can garden in your tried and true sweatpants from college. do not be discouraged by trendy and flawless images of fruitful gardens that flood social channels – instead, pocket them as inspiration and move on within your own parameters. remember, how your life feels – to you, is infinitely more important than how it looks to others.
here are a list of things we prioritized when inspiring a love of gardening for ourselves and our little ones:
one |
read about gardening together.
this is where we really got started and where we find inspiration. where we revisit and begin, time and time again. where we learn about gardening and nature through story; reading and re-reading. considering how we gardening might look together, for our little family.
here are five of our (current) favourite gardening books to get you started, specifically selected for you by our oldest, Mya:
1 — we are the gardeners (joanna gaines)
2 — up in the garden and down in the dirt (kate messner)
3 — grandpa’s garden (stella fry)
4 — flowers are calling (rita gray)
5 — the honeybee (kirsten hall)
two |
create a garden plan together.
this step can be as detailed or as simple as you like.
for us it looked like choosing seeds and plotting out where said seeds would go in our gardens, which consist of two little raised beds in front of our deck.
the girls drew flowers, mostly. while jeffrey and i thought a little more about sunlight and companion planting.
for us, this step goes on for days. we start dreaming and planning in early winter, and really put a pen to paper around end of February, early March.
three |
build a garden just for them.
extra hands make for less work, most times; except for when it comes to gardening with littles. and even more so, if said little ones are all ages 5 and under. a simple solution we have found to this adorable predicament is to give the girls their own garden to tend to and explore. last year, this consisted of a flower pot each, that they filled with whatever seeds their hearts desired, and that they watered (or overwatered) daily. and how they adored this. we talked about what they were growing, what might help their seeds grow (the sun, the bees, water, loving care), and about what magical things might be happening in their little gardens – you can imagine that this was of the utmost significance to them, including very important discussions such as which flower fairies might be visiting each night.
this year, we plan on planting a flower garden specifically for our two oldest. a garden that they can tend to and pick from to their heart's content. we will direct sow zinnias and cosmos with them and we truly cannot wait to see how our little gardeners do with their very first plot.
four |
visit your gardens daily.
this step is perhaps obvious, but one of the most significant.
no matter the weather, we check on our gardens daily, multiple times a day.
early morning we peek out to see what new growth might have occurred and to water before the sun hits.
afternoons we weed, here and there.
evenings we harvest for tonight’s supper and tomorrow’s snacks. for a tiny table boquet.
five |
reflect and document together.
this one is so important, friends.
take pictures, write journals, make an effort to remember even the smallest of gardening moments.
