I have been telling myself for the last two years that I was going to plant a garden. For some reason every time Spring rolls around I find excuses that keep me from being proactive. This year my justification is that my baby could come at anytime and gardening is the least of my worries at this point.


My excuse of being with child got me thinking about all the time I spent in the yard with my Grandpa growing up. I learned how to tend to the apple trees, prune the rose bushes, and water plants at a very young age. I never realized how much the knowledge of maintaining a yard can benefit a child until I had my own yard to care for. I am in no way comparing myself to the landscape extraordinaire that my Grandpa was but, I did learn a few things.


For instance, it gave me the chance to observe the cycle of life and see the ramifications of caring for something over time. Children are curious. They love the dirt. And they learn by doing things hands on. What a perfect way to teach a child about nature and how things such as vegetation respond to its own environment and the care it’s provided.


Whether it’s planting a bean in a Styrofoam cup or pulling out all of the gardening tools, this is just one of the many ways you can spend quality time with your children or grandchildren. Now that I think of it, maybe it’s not so bad that I keep putting off my garden. It will give me something to look forward to when my little one is following me around the yard.