Children’s Garden News

by Jean Stark

Do you enjoy looking through the seed catalogues in January planning the garden for the coming growing season? I talked with a friend the other day who shared her seed catalogue with me and in particular a page with a gourd seed packed to make a bird feeder. “That would be perfect for the children’s garden” I said while marking the page. The problem? I’m having all the fun and I’d like to share it. 

Gardens are a great way to feel healed and healthy. I’m wondering if anyone knows someone out there who may be feeling lonely, who has ample time on their hands and would like to be a Children’s Garden Friend. If you are someone who knows someone, please encourage them and get connected with the Children’s Garden at South Whidbey Tilth. The garden is waiting for many hands.

Here are a few ways to become involved:

• Pull up borage and rose campion plants (and other volunteers) then pot them up. They can be sold at the market to support the children’s garden.

• Plant giant sunflower seeds into pots in the greenhouse. We’ll plant them in in garden in June.

• Water starts in the greenhouse (weekly) until June.

• Get the garden ready in March and April (some digging and weeding) with apple slices, cheese and bread while we work.

• Cut up the vegetation in the small compost piles into smaller pieces.

• Water plants one day a week in July and August.

• Get large planters ready for potato planting and plant potatoes. They are so much fun to dig up!

• Read a garden-related book to children during the Sunday market.

• Take visitors on a tour of the garden. Come and learn what there is growing and share it with visitors. It’s fun and folks are always curious about what’s growing.

We have opportunities for fun, creative workshop development. Here are some ideas we’ve come up with so far:

• Grow birdhouse gourdes. Maybe you know someone who knows how to make a bird house from the gourdes (or you want to experiment and teach yourself).

• Recreate a more stable and lasting bug hotel.

• Red Wrigglers + compost = Black Gold. Let's farm worms!

• Harvest and dry herbs in the cob playhouse for making tea and herbal cooking spices.

• What were some of your favorite things you learned about in the garden when you were a child? Share them with us! We want to know. 

I’m looking forward to the new year and seeing the Children’s Garden grow with new volunteers. I encourage you to come and visit, to get involved for just an hour or for an hour every week. See you in the garden with a smile! Contact gardens@southwhidbeytilth.org.