May 2020 - 28

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Providing kids with opportunities to experience hands-on learning in garden
settings offers both immediate and future benefits.
Growing Future Gardeners
By Sarah Pounders
G
ardeners and garden industry professionals know
that the best plants are the ones that have strong
beginnings. Seeds that are sown in well-draining soil,
exposed to optimal temperatures and given just the right
amount of light, water and nutrients are going to produce the
healthiest and strongest plants once placed in the garden.
Those of us trying to grow future gardeners (and
garden product consumers!) can benefit from similar
recommendations - plant the seed of gardening in children
early and provide optimal conditions and encouragement,
along with age-appropriate activities to help young people
grow into adults who are invested in and truly love to garden.
Cultivating Young Gardeners
Supported by research showing participation in youth
gardening activities influences environmental attitudes and
engagement of gardening as an adult, in addition to resulting
in positive impacts on dietary behaviors and academic
performance, the number of school, community and home
youth garden programs has steadily grown in recent years.
Providing kids of all ages with opportunities to experience
hands-on learning in garden settings offers both immediate
and future benefits. From cultivating kids who love their
fruits and veggies and are curious about the natural world,
to growing adults who will eat healthier, develop and invest
in sustainable food systems, and strive to make decisions
that will preserve our environment, youth gardens offer a
solution to a great need for change in our society.
At KidsGardening.com, our mission is to create resources
and offer inspiration to educators, families and other
28 | LAWN & GARDEN RETAILER | MAY 2020
community volunteers to motivate them to garden with
kids in their lives and provide them with the tools they
need for success. From basic gardening tips and planting
recommendations to activity and lesson ideas, we hope to
encourage new and experienced gardeners to literally dig in
to this amazing experience.
Just like any ambitious initiative, we cannot do it
alone. We rely on our wonderful industry sponsors at the
national and local levels to help support our work. From the
cheerleaders who offer words of encouragement to funders
and sponsors who help put the necessarily supplies in
place, it takes a community to build, maintain and sustain
a successful youth garden. We need your help to get every
child in the garden.
Want to show your support for youth gardens and build
your future customer base? Here are a few ideas for ways
that independent garden centers can promote and support
youth garden programs at home and through school and
community garden programs.
Gardening with Kids at Home
Provide Educational Support
One of the barriers for adults who want to garden with the
kids in their lives is lack of confidence in their own gardening
abilities. By providing short classes or demonstrations on
weekends - or even just offering some educational materials
on site - garden centers could really help boost knowledge
and confidence. Talk to your local Master Gardeners and/or
local garden clubs for potential educational collaborations
who may have specific ideas for gardening with kids. We also
http://www.KidsGardening.com
May 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2020
