Suddenly it's springtime in the Bay Area: like early springtime everywhere the weather sporadically turns very warm and sunny, alternating with chillier and rainier days. You never know what you're going to get, but you can tell that it's going to start tipping in favor of more warmth and sunshine, as the trees are starting to bud and the daffodils are already giving way to the tulips. The warm weather means a few things to my family: one, that it's time to stop ignoring the tiny patch of grass we call a yard. Two, that the girls can finally celebrate the return of water and swimsuits to their outdoor play. And three, that it's time to get down and dirty in the garden.
Gardening is something we are learning as we go, and one thing we've learned is that if you choose your plants carefully based on what grows best in your region and keep your expectations low, you can't possibly fail. We replaced some annual herbs and added a couple of tomato plants to the strip of back yard we've designated as our little farm, and our 2.5- and 4-year-olds were instrumental in the hole-digging, dirt-patting, water-spraying processes.
If you don't have a yard, there's a lot you can do in a pot. We've got a dwarf lime tree in one that now produces heavily enough to keep us in margaritas for months, and it takes up one square foot of space, and this year we're trying our hands at strawberries for the first time, supervising our preschoolers as they gently pressed tiny seeds into wee little starter pots of soil. For the next several weeks it will be their responsibility to help me remember to water the new plants, and a few months from now they'll be tasked with helping find the ripest fruits on the tomato vines. And if the pests get us, or the birds eat our strawberry seeds? We had a heck of a day sitting in the dirt together, anyway.
For gardening resources:
KidsGardening
EarthEasy's Gardening With Children
Container Gardening
