Plant a garden and you’ll be growing more than just vegetables and flowers!

Spring is the perfect time to start a garden. Working on a garden as a family is a great way to introduce children to gardening, spend time together and create memories to last a lifetime. Whether it is with your children or grandchildren or just a neighbor child, why not get young hands to help you in the garden this year?
 

 
Historic Grounds Supervisor, Susan Burkhart offers these helpful hints to planting a garden with children: 

• Invest in some good, sturdy child size garden tools. Many home stores now sell nice metal and wood ones in a variety of sizes. It is less frustrating for a child to work with something designed for little hands, arms and legs and your little gardener will take pride in having his ‘own’ tools.
   
• Choose hardy, easy to grow plants such as potatoes, carrots, marigolds, zinnias, petunias, and pumpkins. These are all sturdy enough to withstand eager gardeners and inexperienced planters
   
• Plan on visiting the Historic Village to see the gardens and perhaps take the special tour with Gardener Susan Burkhart.
   
• To attract Butterflies to your garden try these plants: zinnias, cornflowers, cosmos, asters, butterfly weed, chives, daylilies, budderia davidi (butterfly bush), honeysuckle, or spice bush.
   
• To attract butterfly caterpillars (and hopefully cocoons) try milkweed, thistle, dill, parsley, carrots and nasturtium.
   
• Help your child weed and water and tend to the plants once they are growing. Teach them about the plant care.
   
• Have fun! Don’t worry if the rows aren’t straight or the seeds buried to just the right depth. Proudly show off your child’s produce at dinner or in a special arrangement. Even if it is just one flower or carrot, the end result will be your child’s pride and sense of accomplishment.

Susan also suggests the following books to learn more about heritage seeds and plants...
	Heirloom Vegetables                           by Sue Stickland Heirloom Vegetable Gardening                           by William Woys Weaver